All Hail Britannia
by TheFinalArbiter
Summary: As the 100th Empress of The Britannian Empire continues her reign, news of the Demon Emperor's continued survival reach her, placing the largest Empire ever known to Mankind under threat from both within and without. Armed with nary a pizza-loving companion and his wits, Lelouch will make sure Britannia survives and thrives even if it kills him. Again.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Story completely rewritten as of 6th December 2016. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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**\- Tokyo, Japan, 07:30 AM - **

**(Standard Japan Time)**

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Tearing. Chewing. Hissing. A ray of bright red light shone from afar, ever so slightly illuminating the disgusting creatures that crawl all around him. His lip curls into a disgusted sneer as one of them rests on his shoulder, making a buzzing sound before jumping off, chittering with laughter. Throaty, wretched groans and moans make him grit his teeth in disgust. A sudden voice, louder than thunder itself shakes the earth around him, yelling unrecognizable words and making him clamp his ears shut with his hands and scream in frustration.

A gasp.

He sits up in his makeshift cot, gasping for breath and clutching at his throat with one hand. The bright red sign on it glimmers, as if taunting him in the ray of light cast by the dawning sun through the solitary window the room possessed.

It was quite barren, as befitting of the rundown hotel he'd picked at random when they had made their way to Tokyo. A simple, though not exactly clean wooden floor, partially covered with a carpet of dubious colour, and cream painted, sporadically patchy walls serving to give it a decidedly cheap feel. A single bed resided next to the wall, the tall pile of thick blankets covering the other figure seeming to hardly provide sufficient warmth, judging by the way they shivered every now and then.

With a ragged sigh, he finally calms down, pushing his hair back with one hand as he stares through the window, baring his eyes for the world to see. Both shone red with unrestrained power of the Geass before calming down, settling into a soothing violet. Lelouch Vi Britannia groaned at the sudden pain in his lower back, dearly missing the soft, warm beds of the Imperial Palace.

There was a cough from the bed, making him stand up another grimace, suspiciously staring at the lying bundle of blankets. Awake already? It's only been a few hours. Not that either of them had been getting much sleep in the past few weeks. Too many nightmares.

He quietly went over to the lying figure's side. Raising a hand up in the air, he roughly brought it down on its back a few times, making her yelp in shock "Up and at it, C.C.. We've spent enough time in this hole."

Groaning, a single honey-gold eye opened and looked at him in confusion, before closing again, grumbling something unflattering about his mother under her breath. Lelouch smiled, "Keep that up, and next time you'll be the one on the floor." he murmured, before leaning backwards and stretching. Sleeping on the floor was hardly doing wonders for his spine - much less his sore muscles.

Such was life in self imposed exile, he mused. He still remembered the luxurious environments of the Imperial Palace, and the comforts it brought him in the lonely afternoons and evenings. Resting in front of the roaring fireplace, a warm cup of tea in one hand and an actual, paper book in the other, contemplating whether he should throw something at the green haired woman that snored on the room's sole, richly draped couch.

A roar of wind invaded their sanctuary from an opening in the wall, interrupting his reminiscing and making him curse with surprise as he shivered again, quickly pulling his blanket tighter. Striding to the window, he slammed it shut and attempted to fix the bolt into place with a growl, cursing the number that had built the place.

With nary a whisper of moving blankets, a girl sat up in the bed, rubbing her eyes with one hand and scrunching her nose at the offending gust of air "You know, Lelouch…"

"Yes?" he said distractedly, trying to slam the little metal part down and getting steadily angrier as it denied his efforts.

"When you said we had to live a life of not many comforts, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Why couldn't we stay at that nice hotel we used a few months ago?"

He raised his eyebrows, giving up on the bolt with another punch and turning around "Ah, would you prefer to be burnt at a stake instead? I'm sure I could arrange something for you."

She huffed, conceding his point. Grumbling, the girl threw the blankets off herself and, after patting down the wrinkles from the bed cover, sat back down, crossing her legs "It would make me warmer, at least."

He nodded, peering outside "True, though I doubt your nice clothes would like it as much as you would. They wouldn't get as much use." She scrunched her eyebrows together, her tone threatening, yet tired "Are you trying to imply something, Lelouch?"

He coughed out a laugh, turning around and pulling his bag from the ground and onto the bed, next to her folded, shapely legs, and opening it with the rasp of a zipper, "I think I remember Nunnally wearing something similar when she was five. I also seem to remember them being prettier than that thing you're wearing."

The girl in the bear patterned lavender pajamas flopped back down onto the pillow, throwing her arms on either side and conceding defeat once again "I hardly expect you to understand fashion, Lelouch. I'll have you know this is the latest trend."

"Yes, yes. They do bring out the best of your _assets_. Go take your shower; I'm trying to call Orange." he distractedly muttered, continuing to rummage through the bag with his brows furrowed in frustration.

She sighed, standing up and yawning, before trodding into the room's on-suite bathroom and softly closing the door behind her, no doubt getting ready for the day.

With a triumphant growl, Lelouch pulled out a rather unremarkable matte black mobile phone and punched a number into it. He threw the bag aside, knocking over a small, black box filled with differently coloured contacts he used daily and laid down onto the spot previously occupied by the girl. He closed his eyes as the connection was established, drinking in the subtle smell of white roses she always left in her wake.

A click. He focused.

"Bishop wishes Valencia. Pattern white? Confirm." Crackling is heard, before a deep voice comes through, immediately and correctly "Valencia answers Bishop. Pattern white. Confirm."

He nodded with satisfaction, happy that his weekly check in hadn't yielded anything of interest. The voice continued, "Sanctuary calm, by dawn's light? Confirm."

"Confirm," he said tiredly, slamming the pillow in an attempt to flatten it. "Valencia, slumbering." came the reply from the other side before the call ended with a loud click.

He threw the phone aside, sinking deeper into the cushions the girl had piled on the bed. The code he had devised to use for communication with Jeremiah was imperfect. To any outside observers, it would seem oddly simple, and that was precisely the beauty of it.

While one might spend days trying to decode the true meaning, the code itself was deceptively simple in its design, devoid of any mathematical encryption. Truly one of his masterpieces, he thought. Lelouch closed his eyes, enjoying the incredibly soft - at least compared to the floor - mattress. Street vendors could be heard outside, trying to peddle their wares to an unsuspecting passerby. Sinking deeper into the luxurious softness, he sighed, enveloped himself in the warmth.

Something impacted his chest, jerking him up in alarm. He blinked at the empty bottle of shampoo on the bed and looked at the frowning girl standing in the doorway, the hands on her hips stretching the simple pajama top against her deliciously large chest.

"And just how am I supposed to keep my lovely hair silky smooth with nothing to clean it with, Lelouch? Hmm?" she said, lifting a hand to finger one of her luscious locks, amusement twinkling in those lovely golden orbs.

He dropped his head back down with a sigh, well used to the situation. "You know, you've been getting steadily more and more selfish as we traveled. What happened to that cute little girl that would save me a pizza slice and welcome me home after a long day of work?"

"I didn't have any memories then, as I'm sure you recall. You'd prefer a shy little girl that caters to your every whim instead?" she replied with a frown, leaning against the side of the doorway. "Your ego is too big for that; you need someone like me to keep you in check, or it would just keep growing and growing until it pops."

He put on his boots as she talked, nodding in reply, "And when it does pop, it won't end well for _you_. It doesn't make me any happier, though." walking over to the exit, he put on a small cap and turned around, "I'll get us some breakfast before we head out. Start packing, we're leaving as soon as I get back."

Without waiting to hear a snarky reply, he walked out and slammed the cheap door shut behind him, the coat hook on top of it clattering and rattling. She walked over to the bed and gleefully jumped down, knocking down a small box that was covered by his bag. Leaning over, she carefully opened it and saw rows of differently coloured contacts. Her mouth open in a small o, she looked at the door and back a few times before closing it, "Oh well. I'm sure he'll be fine."

0o0o0o0o0o0

The sun was slowly moving higher in the sky, and C.C. had yet to change her clothes, or even get out of the bed, for that matter. It was hardly her fault, she'd say. After all, she was simply chronically tired by nature - nothing could be done about it.

She sighed as she got tired of thinking up excuses for her laziness, rolling onto her back and raising a hand to play with the rays of light shining through the half open window, listening to the hustle and bustle of the district below her. What an odd location for Lelouch to drag them to.

Tokyo was, after all, quite famous for being the home of the Black Knights ever since their founding. Naturally, Lelouch had pointed out, he had plenty of secret resource stashes hidden around the city itself, so money was far from a problem.

Carrying fake identities, they had slipped into former Area 11 under the cover of night all those months ago, with Lelouch picking a hotel for them to stay in at random. The sleepy owner hadn't paid them much attention, letting them pick a room before putting down the key and waving them on their way, doubtlessly thinking it was just another couple in love looking for a quick love hotel to stay in for the night. Since then, they had been traveling around the slowly rebuilding country, enjoying their solitude.

The green haired girl groaned, rolling around in the bed and feeling truly desperate for something to eat. He had left nearly half an hour ago, and her stomach was already grumbling in disapproval. C.C. had no knowledge about their next step, but was content to laze around while he planned it - or at least until he required her to actually think.

She was just drifting off into a nice, relaxed trance when she heard quick footsteps bounding up the stairs. Well experienced with how this scene usually played out, she smirked, deciding to have a little revenge for making her wait so long. Rolling up her t-shirt just a bit and doing her best to appear defenseless, she limply lay on the bed.

After a short pause, Lelouch quickly unlocked the door, slamming it behind him and locking it right back up again. Ignoring his half nude companion, shapely legs, perfectly toned waist and all, he went to the window in three quick strides, slamming it shut and pulling down the blinds. After peering outside for a couple of seconds, as if expecting a Knightmare to land in the middle of the street, he turned around, striding across to the girl who had nearly given up pretending to sleep at this point and was peering at him with half closed eyes.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, he roughly shook her awake "C.C.! Damn it, woman, this is no time for sleeping!"

She blinked the sleep out of her eyes, pulling her shirt down and sitting up "What's wrong?" she quietly asked, rubbing her eye with a yawn.

The raven-haired teen strode to the window again, peering out, one hand going through his hair in frustration "It was such a stupid mistake, but I was just so _tired _and it just slipped my mind!" he said, turning around and desperately throwing things left and right, clearly searching for something.

Her mouth opened in a small o yet again as she watched him flip her sheets over before going to the table and roughly clearing it from their knicknacks, "Lelouch"?" she called him, flinching when his angry violet eyes stared at her, filled with rage, "I-is this what you're looking for?" she lifted the small box holding his contact lenses from its place beside the bed.

He looked at her for a long few seconds before turning around and slamming the wooden table with such a force one of its legs broke, making her flinch again. He hissed in anger, kicking the broken remains of the cheap plywood table and scattering them around the room, shards of wood flying everywhere, before pausing and looking at the mess he had made with regret. Raising a hand to cover his eyes, he slid down the wall and held his head between his knees, breathing heavily.

She slowly unfurled herself from her position on the back of the bed and strode over, sitting next to him and grabbing his hand in a strong, yet gentle hold, fingers intertwined. "What happened?" she asked, abandoning her joking demeanour.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke "After I bought your bloody _shampoo_." he growled the word, "I was going to get some food. As I was walking out of the store, I forgot our intelligence services have a highly sophisticated camera system in place on all major squares in former areas - and I looked straight into one!" He looked at her, his violet eyes slowly getting brighter and brighter red with the symbol of Geass as he got angrier and making her look at him in shock, "It just so happens that our spy system is extremely good at recognizing faces of wanted criminals, and I _forgot _to put my contacts in." he growled, shaking off her hand and standing up.

"But... surely there's a chance no one noticed? If it was just a momentary glance-" she tentatively asked before Lelouch interrupted her "It's a _disaster_!" he hissed. "I'd rather not gamble our lives on matters of certainty. We're leaving, as soon as possible." he finished, grabbing his meager belongings and stuffing them into a duffel bag.

Turning around, he opened his mouth to tell her to do the same but paused when he saw her broken, vulnerable expression. He forcibly calmed himself down with a sigh, going over and pulling her into a gentle hug before kissing her forehead, "Come on, get dressed. We have to leave."

"But the-"

"_If _it triggered an alert somewhere, and _if_ Jeremiah does his job correctly, he will do all he can to stop the information from going out beyond the Empress's inner circle." he continued, rubbing her back encouragingly before striding next to the door and putting his ear on it "However, just because the Palace won't plan on capturing us doesn't mean someone else will be so kind to us if they find out."

"Someone else? she inquired, hurriedly changing after wiping her eyes.

"I don't have time to elaborate. Get ready, we're leaving in five minutes." he replied, not moving from his position, still quietly seething at his stupidity.

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**\- At the same time, Britannian Mainland 22:02 BST - **

**(Britannian Standard Time)**

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"Still nothing?"

Jeremiah, mightily comfortable in his high backed, leather office chair, shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat. "No, Your Majesty. The search continues."

The wheelchair-ridden girl sighed, propping up her head with one hand, the other busy playing with the finely crafted, golden pen. "It has been nearly a year, Jeremiah. Nearly an entire year, with nothing to show for our efforts."

He raised a hand to calm her, "I am well aware of your concerns, Your Majesty. However, we simply can't afford to spare the manpower to carefully comb the country on an off chance that C.C. has performed some sort of a miracle and revived your brother. It's a fantasy and nothing less, I wish you'd give up on it." he finished quietly, looking at her imploringly.

"I like to think myself smart enough to not believe in _fantasies_, but it seems to me you're not taking this seriously enough." Nunnally Vi Britannia shot back, her eyes blazing.

He gave a resigned sigh, massaging his forehead with a silk glove-clad hand. His office was dimly lit, curtains covering the dark, yet still bustling skyline of the newly rebuilt Britannian Capital, its name still unchanged and known to every man, woman and child across the world. _Pendragon_. A fireplace, shimmering with heat, provided a soft light source along with the candelabra sitting on his desk. A hulking bookshelf tiredly rested against the wall on the other side, occasionally murmuring a groan under the weight of many tomes upon it.

"To try and explain it in terms you might understand, my Lady." Jeremiah paused, rummaging through the pile of documents on his side and pulling one out, "The Chinese have stepped up their intelligence gathering. Another one of our spy cells was completely destroyed, twelve agents confirmed dead, two missing, presumably being interrogated. No proof that they can go forward with, but I doubt it will help our relations with the UFN."

He looked up at her seriously, his cybernetic eye whirring, "If our intelligence efforts weren't so focused on looking for your brother, this could have been avoided. Twelve good Britannian men have paid the price for their country." pausing as he looked at her sad expression, he gently explained, "We are all still grieving, but we have to move forward and run the country. You cannot let the opportunity he has given us be squandered."

Nunnally took a deep breath, smiling her thanks, "They are getting surprisingly bold. I thought reinstating Cornelia as the Chief General of our military forces would keep things calm." she replied softly, tapping the pen against her pale cheek.

"Oh, I believe it has." he distractedly replied, reading through a document, "Having a weak-willed coward in the lead would have triggered a full on invasion of the Homeland, no doubt. With Lord Asplund at the helm of the research and production department, we are ramping up the production of seventh and eighth generation Knightmare Frames to pre-war levels."

"Yes, the Federation of Nations has been feeling quite strongly about that. I do so dearly wish to cooperate with them, but, like I've informed Kaguya, Britannia needs to be able to defend itself. We have an image to uphold, after all." Nunnally replied with a smile, her mood improving at the thought of the small girl's angry face. How ironic that two teenaged girls were the de-facto leaders of the world right now, she mused.

He raised his glass, making her smile and reciprocate with her tea cup "And cheers to that. All hail Britannia." she grinned, looking at the portrait of the Ashford family behind his desk and steeling her resolve, "All hail Britannia." she quietly replied

A knock on the door interrupted their little celebration. Jeremiah's implanted augmetics quickly showing him a camera feed of a masked figure outside, making him smile and shake his head in response to Nunnally's questioning look. "Enter."

The padded door opened, silhouetting a masked, caped figure against the bright lights of the anteroom outside, before it closed the door softly and walked into the room with hard footsteps.

"Lord Protector." Jeremiah nodded in greeting "Good to have you with us."

"Your Majesty. Marquis Gottwald. Same to you." Zero replied, bowing.

The Empress smiled, turning her head to look at him "Suzaku. Won't you take off that dreadful thing? Every time I see you in it, it makes me sad."

Suzaku shook his head, moving to stand next to the desk and placing a hand on her shoulder "As much as I would like to, you know I can't, at least not with you. I've made a promise to him." She nodded resignedly, going back to signing the documents from a pile in front of her, prompting Jeremiah to speak up "Is there something amiss, Zero?"

"As a matter of fact, I bring some news that may be of interest to you. Her Majesty, especially." he said, his tone oddly hesitating, one hand clenching and unclenching by his side and making Jeremiah raise an eyebrow.

"Hmm? What is it?" Nunnally asked distractedly, frowning at the page detailing the funding requests for various departments that made the Britannian Empire function. Truly, they were asking for far too much, especially considering the small plunge the economy took after the Areas were abolished. The Britannian Empire has lost merely a few parts of its territory, but the sting was felt far and wide.

"There's no easy way to say this, so I'll be blunt. We believe Lelouch is alive." Suzaku said quietly, the words freezing the warm room. The pen clattered from Nunnally's fingers as she twirled around in her wheelchair, her eyes full of hope.

Jeremiah quietly clenched his hand into a fist below the desk, hoping the news didn't involve his secret method of contact with his Prince. He was instructed to keep the information from Nunnally at all costs, and its discovery would be _terrible_.

"Well? Come on, out with it!" Nunnally quickly spoke, grabbing Suzaku's sleeve and looking up at him imploringly. He gazed at her for a few seconds, "I have, of course, verified the information myself, or else I wouldn't bring it to you." he said with a sigh, gently shaking Nunnally's hand off and folding his arms across his chest "Still, it might be nothing."

Suzaku cleared his throat "Approximately half an hour ago, one of the public cameras our face-recognition system has access to has recorded someone that may very well be Lelouch." He quietly placed a small datapad on top of Nunnally's abandoned budget requests, pressing a button to play the video he had brought.

Nunnally blinked, "Those signs… is this Area Ele- I mean _Japan_?" she tried the unfamiliar word as they watched people mile around in front of a grocery store in broad daylight, clearly on their way to work. The doors slid open, revealing a tall figure shifting a heavy grocery bag from one hand to another. Noticeably taller than any of the surrounding natives, it stood out in the small crowd as it moved away with its cap tucked low over its eyes. It dropped something from its hand and bent over to pick it up before leaning back up and looking around. By pure coincidence, its eyes looked right at the surveillance camera, sitting high atop a lamppost.

The few seconds it stared right at them before turning around with a whirl and moving away at a noticeably faster pace of walking were more than enough for Nunnally to let out a sob, picking the device up and holding it in shaking hands, "I-it's him! I'd recognize my own brother anywhere, Jeremiah! T-that face and those eyes were his!" Nunnally cried out, tears flowing down freely down her cheeks. She leaned back in her wheelchair, sobbing tears of joy, sadness or something in between and leaving the two men staring at each other in a silent contest of wills.

Suzaku was the first to break the silence, his tone filled with restrained anger "Jeremiah, would you like to explain to us why _Lelouch _is still alive?" he raised a hand to interrupt him, "No, I've got a better idea." he pointed a finger at Nunnally, "Explain it to her. Explain to her why everything we have worked so hard for is about to go up in flames. Explain it to her so when the bloodthirsty crowds gather outside and surge into this Palace eager to rip us to shreds before mounting our heads above the front gate, she knows why they-"

Nunnally wiped her tears and took a deep breath, "Enough, Suzaku. I think I'm going to lie down for a bit. I-I'm sure he has left you two some previous instructions in case this happened, but please tell me whatever you can after you're done." Suzaku hesitated, but nodded, "I have a pair of the Royal Guard outside, they'll escort you to your chambers."

She nodded, patting Jeremiah's folded hands, "It's fine, Jeremiah. I don't blame you for anything, I'm simply overjoyed right now. Thank you." she gave him another teary smile before turning and exiting the room with a small buzz, Suzaku closing the door behind her.

"Did you know?" he asked flatly.

Jeremiah brought his hands together in front of him, his head bowed low over the desk. He exhaled in frustration, the migraine reigning freely with nothing to hold it back now. He would need a clear head for this "Yes." a small pause stretched before he continued, "I was following orders, just like you were, Suzaku."

The mask continued looking at him, the formless visage giving away nothing. Oh, how he hated that mask. His Lord had once wore it, and done deeds both glorious and infamous, yet now it hid the face of his murderer who had sworn an oath to never take it off again. The flames from the roaring fire in the background seemed to enhance the size of the figure as it was profiled against the fire, seeming to grow taller, wider.

In a sudden movement, it slammed a hand down onto the table, the resounding crack making Jeremiah grit his teeth in anger, glaring at the figure in pure, unadulterated hate.

"You should have told me. You should have told me he was alive. Out of all people, I _deserved _to know!" it whispered, the rage barely contained as the wraith coiled its hand into a fist, moving closer to him, looming across the desk like a dark ghost, "I thought we were supposed to help Nunnally _together_!"

Jeremiah very slowly, deliberately, raised himself across the desk until he was face to face with that accursed mask, his own form reflected back to him in all of its tired, unbridled glory. "I had no need to tell you _anything_." he growled "You _killed_ him. You didn't deserve to know, you bastard, even if he planned for it."

It looked at him silently, judging his words while the clock ticked in silence, seconds feeling like hours. Suddenly, it crumpled into the chair on the other side of the desk. As if all energy has left its muscled, yet thin frame, it slowly dropped the helmet-clad head into its hands and remained silent.

Jeremiah sat back down, sighing and pouring himself a double. He would need it, "I'd offer you a glass, but I doubt you can drink with that thing on." he said to Zero's motionless figure, "Whatever we do, we must ensure the information is wiped from our servers completely." he continued, putting the glass down and folding his hands on top of the desk "This is precisely why I was the only one who knew. If this isn't contained and a foreign government acquires the footage, the reaction will be… disastrous."

Zero looked up, before crossing his legs and leaning back in the rather uncomfortable visitor chair "Do you have a way to contact him?"

"Of course, who do you think I am? We planned this for weeks." Jeremiah smiled proudly, "My Lord will no doubt be expecting a call from me soon." he said, tapping his glass in thought.

"If I know him, and I do, he has probably vacated the immediate area already. He may very well be on his way to the other side of the country by now." Suzaku paused, leaning forward, "I agree with you. Our first priority is purging the records from the database completely."

"I'll see to it." Jeremiah confirmed, nodding, "What will you do?"

"See that you do. I'll go visit Her Majesty and try to calm her down, maybe explain what happened." he stood up, pausing before he opened the door "Do you… want me to tell her you have a means to talk to him?"

He mulled it over for a second, looking at the gently crackling logs and contemplating the pros and cons of giving the young girl a way to know if her brother was well "Do it. There's no use trying to hide it from her, and I'm sure having a way to get a message to him will calm her down."

Zero nodded, pausing at the door, "I-I don't like it, but I think you did the right thing in not telling us." he squeezed his hand in front of his mask, "I don't know if I would have had the strength to swear my oath otherwise." he quietly said before exiting the room and softly closing the door behind him. Finally alone, Jeremiah slowly stood up and paused for a second, draining his glass empty, before walking to the painting of the Vi Britannia family that hung behind his desk and flipping it over.

A pure white, digital keypad greeted him. Typing in the twelve digit password, he removed one of his gloves and held the thumb into the fingerprint scanner slot. With a soft beep, the safe yielded, its contents bare for him to see.

Closing the safe, he slowly sat back down in the high backed chair, absently noting how uncomfortable it seemed right now. With a sigh, he held up a matte black phone, identical to the one his Lord carried, "If only you knew of all the things we didn't tell you, Suzaku." he murmured, shaking his head.

Beep.

"Valencia wishes Bishop."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Long A/N: Thank you for reading the first chapter of All Hail Britannia! You are reading the new, improved version combining several previous chapters and featuring numerous changes and fixes.

In short, the entire story was completely rewritten for your viewing pleasure. I heartily recommend you read all the chapters if you're a returning reader, otherwise you will find the plot confusing, to say the least.

While this is marked as a Lelouch/Nunnally pairing. It is **not incest **and only serves to represent the unique nature of their relationship moving forward with the fic. There will be romance between Lelouch and someone else in the meantime, and thank you to the reviewer who mentioned it.

Please leave a review if you enjoyed. Thank you for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

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**One Hour Later**

**\- Britannian Mainland 23:00 BST - **

**(Britannian Standard Time)**

0o0o0o0o0o0

It was cold.

How very barbaric his surroundings were. Stone slab floor, stone walls, a solitary barred window sitting tantalizingly just out of reach. A makeshift cot resided in the corner, simple straw on top of a creaky iron frame, bolted to the floor. In the other corner - a hole, where he was allowed to defecate like an animal at his leisure. Opposite the window, a low, iron plated door rested in the wall, its many locks dimly shining in the light of the setting sun. Simple, yet effective. Hardly a pinnacle of Britannian engineering.

He yawned, continuing the fruitless task of digging through the wall with a small jagged stone he had managed to break off, his fingers and knuckles bloodied and bruised with the effort. Was he in a tower? In a dungeon? Not that it mattered, he wouldn't be getting out anytime soon - Zero had made sure of that.

Scratch, scratch, whispered his improvised pickaxe.

"Is that what you think?" he whispered back, glaring at it.

The curved surface of the stone seemed to smirk back at him, the full moon outside illuminating a mere half of it, leaving the rest in darkness. With a growl, he threw it across the room, hitting the door with a jarring, hollow thump that echoed for far longer than it had any right to.

How long had it been? Days? Weeks? Months? He had tried to keep track of time, the roughly scratched lines on the stone wall above the cot attesting to his efforts, but slowly - oh ever so slowly, the silence had stifled him, burying any hope below layers and layers of loneliness and hatred.

The door to his cell suddenly opened with a slam, making him turn around and growl in anger at the sudden entry. This wasn't normal. Not a part of his schedule. Not planned. He had things to do, why would the plebeians distract him?

A pair of men dressed in full Royal Guard armour, their helmets on with the masks slid to cover their faces walked in, rifles at the ready. He smiled, happy to see them - finally, his father had remembered him, "Ah, my father's Royal Guard, the praetorians! What news do you bring?" he asked cheerfully before giggling. The two men looked at each other before one of them spoke in a rough tone distorted through his mask, "Prime Minister, we're here to check on your health. Would you take a seat on the bed, please?"

He looked at them suspiciously before carefully sitting on the edge of the bedframe and spreading his hands, "Of course!" he replied cheerfully as they moved towards him, "What dreadful business, this Zero rebellion! Don't you think? I wonder if my father is going to do anything about it." he paused with another giggle as one of the men carefully removed a one use injector from a pack on his belt and handed it to the other who sat beside him,

"But no! What does he say? Schneizel, my boy, I'm leaving this mundane matter all to _you_!" he screamed out the last word, waving his hands up in the air, "Mundane, he says! Absolute disaster!"

"Now." whispered one of the men. With a quiet hiss, the syringe proceeded to slam into Schneizel's arm as the other obeyed the order, holding the prisoner's arm down. The former Prime Minister quickly lost all of his strength, lying limply on the bed a few seconds later as the potent medicine knocked him out. One of them hefted him up on his shoulder with a grunt, the other quickly cuffing him before walking outside of the small cell where Zero was waiting.

He nodded, "You know where to go. The new facilities have been set up for a few weeks, but we need to move him _now_, I'm taking no chances. Make sure no one sees you."

The pair of men nodded and walked away, quickly followed by a dozen more of their comrades, all of them equipped with ceremonial lances as they surrounded the pair and marched off into the darkness. Suzaku blink clicked an icon in his helmet to check the time, then sighed. Now that that small problem has been dealt with, it was time for him to explain the situation to the Empress.

He was not looking forward to it.

0o0o0o0o0o0

**An Hour Ago**

**\- Tokyo, Japan, 08:10 AM - **

**(Standard Japan Time)**

0o0o0o0o0o0

It was irresistible.

The size, the texture, the colour, even the smell itself. It was driving her absolutely crazy. It had been so long, oh so long since she had last had the opportunity to enjoy such a magnificent specimen of its kind.

She hesitated, choosing to savor the moment before proceeding. They were people around, some of them watching her, but she didn't care - no, she wouldn't care. It has been far too long.

Her luscious red lips opened, the pink tongue coursing out towards her target, almost touching it, but not quite. Honey gold orbs peeking out from half closed eyes ever so slightly, pure bliss etched on her face as she moved even closer.

"Stop that."

The two golden pearls jerked up, an eyebrow furrowing in irritation. A short pause ensued, the invisible clash of their wills nearly audible in the surrounding murmur.

"Will you deny me this simple pleasure?" she whispered.

Lelouch, the baker boy cap pulled low over his fine aristocratic features was torn between irritation, exasperation, and amusement as he gave her a long look "You're making this harder than it needs to be."

Her lip twitched a few times, looking between him and her target, before seemingly giving up on the argument and pouncing in. Ripping and tearing, she devoured her victim in mere seconds. Lelouch barely paid attention to his companion's eating antics as he continued scanning the Pizza restaurant they were currently in. The place was slowly filling up with workers eager for some breakfast, yet they had a fairly sized table for themselves, enough for him to use his laptop while she devoured her third slice in the past five minutes.

"No news yet." he mentioned absentmindedly, after searching through the Royal Herald, the official Britannian News Network as well as half a dozen international ones, frowning.

"I've anonymously checked in with some of my sources in the mainland. So far, nothing too unusual has been reported." he concluded, closing the device with a quiet clap and pulling his… drink of some sort closer. He wasn't a huge fan of sugary drinks that contained ice-cream, but he wasn't about to refuse one either.

"I am truly in your debt, Lelouch." she mentioned, sitting ramrod straight in her seat and gently patting her lips with a table napkin, as if she had just finished her cakes in a Britannian Royal tea party.

He leaned back in his chair, sighing "Even my cold, black heart couldn't resist that sad expression of yours." he said, lips twitching as he remembered the puppy-dog eyes she had given him when they were passing by the restaurant, bag slung over his shoulders.

"How unseemly of me."

"Quite."

A waitress came by, collecting the empty pizza box with a small bow, before leaving them once again in comfortable silence, as trashy pop music that seemed to be so popular in this grim, dark future played from the wall mounted speakers.

"Those green contacts look good on you." she innocently mentioned, making him frown, "How long before we need to move again?" she asked, folding her pale hands on top of the table and playing with her half-empty glass.

"I'm waiting for Orange." he replied, tapping his fingers against the surface impatiently "It has been over an hour. If the system had tipped them off, he should be calling me any minute-" he was interrupted by a shrill vibration from his pocket, sounding far more sinister than it had any right to be.

C.C. took a deep rattling breath, "Should we...?" she asked, gesturing towards the door.

With a shake of his head, he bowed low over the table and brought the matte black phone to his ear, his heart thundering away in his chest.

Beep - the phone sounded as a secure line was established.

"Valencia wishes Bishop. Sanctuary by dawn's light? Confirm." came the clipped tone of his loyal bodyguard, prompting a shaky sigh from the raven haired teen as he relaxed.

"Confirm." Lelouch softly replied.

"Dove in cage, messenger safe by the tower."

Lelouch nodded, clutching his hand into a fist "Pattern yellow? Confirm."

"Pattern yellow denied. Pattern ivory."

He paused, contemplating "Confirm. Bishop out."

He closed the phone with a clack, depositing it in a pocket close to his heart. Folding his arms on the surface again, he looked at her, "She knows." at her worried look, he continued, "Combining what he had told me with the news one of my sources gave me, there is a… possibility someone else does as well." he paused.

"A few men were murdered in one of our data collection centers, but the failsafes activated just in time. They probably wanted to take the original as well, to keep the Palace from finding out.", he savored the sugary taste through the straw for a moment, "As it is, we believe someone else has seen the footage."

C.C. sighed, leaning over the table and taking his cold, pale hand between hers. Nunnally knew Lelouch was alive, yet he appeared so calm about this. All that planning had gone to waste, ruined by a small miscalculation on his part.

They had hid for months, traveling across former Area 11, avoiding cities for precisely this reason. Lelouch seethed at his own stupidity, clutching her hand tightly. After months of planning, careful preparations, even more careful movement, getting the bare minimum of interaction with others, and even going across the world, he had still failed. Again.

It would have repercussions, as all things did. As long as he still drew breath, her reign - and by extension, world peace was at a risk. If another nation had found out, they would be at Britannia's throat faster than you could say 'World War'. Even worse, they'd have a chance, especially with how weakened the military forces were. He had to do something, and he had to do it now.

He stood up and threw a few bills on the table, lifting his bag "Come on. We need to get going."

She followed suit, arms lazily swinging by her sides as she trotted behind him towards the door "Where are we going?"

He thought for a second before replying, "We'll lay low for a while, like we have so far. But tomorrow, I have a call to make."

0o0o0o0o0o0

**\- Narita Settlement, Same day, 10:25 AM -**

**(Standard Japan Time)**

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Good morning."

Lin Shòu was not having a good day so far. Immigrating into Area 11 shortly after its independence, she had bought the former love hotel for practically a steal, owing to the almost complete destruction of the town during the subjugation of a rebellion group.

With the recent rebuilding efforts, financed by the United Federation of Nations, business had boomed. The workers needed a place to take the local corner girls to, and she, with her reasonable prices per hour, was only too happy to oblige.

The downside of the massive subsidies the UFN had given them, though, was that competition had increased sharply, and, owing to her distance from the city, nearly completely driven her out of business. With only two pairs of guests yesterday, the future was looking bleak.

Therefore, it was quite a surprise when a voice dragged her away from the news she was watching, followed by an impatient tapping of fingers on the wooden surface of the counter.

Tall, dark, and somewhat handsome from what little of his expression she could see beneath his cap, the man was a bit younger than her usual clientele. However, the wad of bills in his other hand drove away all doubts about why on earth someone would want a room in a love hotel before noon as she swiftly rose up, patting her blouse down and heading to the counter.

As expected, he had company. In sharp contrast to the usual girls, she was dressed rather modestly, in a faded pair of trousers and a dark red jacket. Shy golden eyes peeked out between her straight green bangs, half hidden behind the man's back. A young couple, then.

All of this went through her mind in a mere second as she automatically went for a card below the countertop, placing it on the surface.

"Room number four is free, Sir. That will be ten crowns for the day." she chirped out, smiling.

He raised an eyebrow, surprised that Britannian currency was still used in the now-independent country, "We might be staying for a few days, actually. I assume that's not going to be a problem?" came the quiet, refined voice.

Her eyes widened in slight shock, but her mouth was already moving, "It's no problem, Sir. That would be fifteen crowns per night and-" he cut her off by putting down a hundred crown bill and passing it over without a comment, grabbing the plastic object and nodding his thanks, "No change is needed. I do prefer my _privacy_, though. Do you understand?"

She nodded shakily, her shining eyes not moving the bill. "Of course, Sir."

Turning towards the staircase, he was halfway up the first flight of stairs before he noticed something was missing and turned around, narrowing his eyes at the sight of his companion looking at the television with narrowed eyes.

"Cera!" he said sharply, drawing her attention. Blushing, she hurried behind him, shooting a thankful smile at the owner as they rounded the bend in the staircase and disappeared from sight.

Lin shook her head in amusement, "_Children these days_." she muttered in Chinese, taking a seat in the rickety chair and changing the channel to a drama, pleased with the business so far.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"I know we're trying not to draw attention, but why are you in such a hurry?" C.C. said as they walked down the brightly colored hallway.

Lelouch, his face set in a perpetual frown during the entire day, merely grunted in reply, his fake green eyes flashing from one neutrally brown door to the other.

Skidding to a halt - and causing the green haired girl to bump into him, he nodded in satisfaction at the number on the door and slid the card into the receptacle, unlocking it with a click. He turned around to reply, looking left and right in suspicion, only to pause at her offended expression as she rubbed her smarting nose in dissatisfaction.

"I'd prefer not to leave anything to chance," he said, messing up her hair affectionately as she looked up at him angrily, "The sooner we get inside, the better." he continued, pushing her inside before closing and locking the door after one last look.

"While you were running off," she began before skidding to a halt and smirking at the massive bed pushed up against the far side of the room, "I took a look at the news downstairs."

"Oh?" he hummed disinterestedly, striding over to the window and pulling down the blinds while peering outside suspiciously, "Anything interesting?" he asked, turning around and analyzing their lodgings for the next few days.

Unlike a typical hotel room, the bed seemed to take up a disproportionately large amount of space, the - he grimaced - disturbingly pink sheets nearly hurting his eyes with their sheer suggestive intensity. A desk sat against one of the walls, and a small television screen on it was accompanied by a phone, with a large chair pushed up against it. On the opposite wall, what he presumed was an on-suite bathroom resided next to a large closet.

She stayed silent, frowning at the small mirror above the desk and reached up to attempt to fix her hair, the long green locks contrasting sharply with the jacket she proceeded to take off and drape over the chair.

"Cera."

She glanced at him in the mirror, then turned her chin and rose her nose in the air, accompanied by a theatrical "Hmph." He sighed, putting his bag on the bed - it being by far the largest flat space in the room - and rummaged through it, pulling out a vague yellow blob. Taking a seat on the bed, he called for her again "Look what I got while you were waiting for me at the train station."

Peeking out of the corner of her eye, she let out a gasp and strode over, taking the distinctly smaller version of Cheese-kun with a squeal and hugging it, her face positively beaming with happiness.

Pulling her into his lap, he patted her head affectionately as she continued to hug the toy, "Now be a good girl and tell me."

"I do hope you didn't use your Geass to get this for me." she murmured, peeking at him above the top of the blob. "Nonsense," he replied "I didn't know you thought so little of me."

"I'll accept your offering, I suppose. In any case, there was nothing interesting, it seems our secret is safe for now." she finished, leaning back into him, her head draped over his shoulder with the green locks spilling down his back, "Not that I've doubted it. After all, your sister is the last person in the world who'd want to do you harm."

"You're probably right. I don't think it's safe to call Orange again so soon, so we'll wait and see." he then smirked, pushing her forward and prompting a groan as she moved from the comfortable position "Last person in the world, you say? What about you, then?"

Turning to face him, she settled for a mock frown, "Sometimes, Lelouch, it is quite tempting." before ducking his flick to the forehead and standing up "I'll go take a shower. Don't touch him."

He looked up at her in confusion, "Him?" before laughing as she deposited the yellow toy into his lap "Have no fear, he's in good hands."

Smiling, she dug out a change of clothes from her own backpack and trotted into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind her.

Getting his laptop out, he pulled the toy off of his lap and plopped it next to him, before immersing himself in gathering information and planning their next move.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Feeling significantly more refreshed after having a chance to use her new shampoo, C.C. made her way back into the room, clad in a pair of thin black trousers and a short-sleeved white shirt with a rather happy Cheese-kun on the front, happily advertising a certain pizza restaurant chain.

Frowning, she found herself reminiscing about the days where she would enjoy her days in utter comfort, wearing nothing more than one of Lelouch's shirts and _doing _nothing more than rolling around in one of the massive beds Ashford Academy provided. While she would love to be able to go back to those days, it would be rather impractical to try and run from an angry mob in nary but a shirt, hence her current attire.

Shaking her head in amusement, she walked by Lelouch, the expected frown already on his face as he read through the UFN projects scheduled for this year.

"Amazing," he murmured "I expected help with the reconstruction from the UFN, but the sheer amount of volunteers and funds they've been pumping into Area Ele- _Japan _since last year is staggering. I suppose they're not too concerned about a potential confrontation with Britannia, if they can afford to be this careless with their money."

With a quiet squeal, C.C. threw herself onto the luxuriously soft bed, rolling around happily with her eyes closed, before ending up on her stomach. Supporting her head on top of her hands next to him, her long, shapely legs slowly started going up and down in boredom "I suppose your wife still has some sort of influence, being the Chairwoman of the world's largest federation and everything." she quipped, winking at him pointedly.

Groaning, Lelouch patted her head, "We'll be here for a few days. You can get started on some of the books I've put on one of those datapads." he said distractedly, pointing a thumb at one of the dropped bags.

"How nice of you! Buying me lunch, a Cheese-kun, and then providing me with some entertainment! Would you like a _reward_?" she breathed next to his ear, startling him hard enough to nearly drop his device to the floor. Turning to glare at her, he sighed instead, rubbing his eyes "Milly must have rubbed off on you more than I thought."

The blonde teenager had been a regular visitor at Pendragon in the weeks before his supposed murder, Lelouch's soft side coming through as he allowed her to visit the prisoners. She had apparently met C.C. in the Palace, with the green witch latching onto her gleefully as soon as she realized Milly had known Lelouch for far longer than her, eager to learn everything about him.

Undoubtedly one of the worst decisions he had made, he thought. Cocking his head, he then shook it from side to side. C.C. had precious little friends, and calling it a bad decision would be lying to both himself and his companion.

Standing up, he pulled out a sandwich he had bought earlier, sitting down to eat and mull over their next move. On the other side of the room, C.C. was already doing her best to relax, her green hair splayed innocently over both pillows, Cheese-kun clutched tightly to her chest with one hand while she held a datapad with another, settling in for a rather lazy afternoon.

"You know, speaking of Milly." Lelouch started, scratching his chin in thought, "I think I would have prefered to bring her along instead of you, she'd probably be a lot more thankful for everything I do." he glanced back at his companion who was doing an admirable job of ignoring him.

"And she's a lot prettier. And knows how to make a good lunch." he added, taking a bite out of his sandwich and grimacing in distaste, "And wouldn't make me go to the store for everything - in fact, she'd probably go to the store for _me_." the man complained, looking down at his meal.

Taking another bite, he looked out the window in thought, "I should have stolen her when I had the chance, to hell with propriety and this Geass business." A pillow from across the room hit him in the head, putting an end to his musings as silence finally settled on both of them.

0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it or have any comments or criticisms.


	3. Chapter 3

0o0o0o0o0o0

**\- The next day, Britannian Mainland 23:02 BST - **

**(Britannian Standard Time)**

0o0o0o0o0o0

Night fell on Pendragon. As the full moon rose above the bustling metropolis, its soft rays gently caressed the tall, steel behemoths that dotted the outskirts of the garden, reflecting off of the tall glass windows and illuminating the plant life below in an ethereal glow.

After the Coronation of Her Royal Majesty Nunnally, The 100th Empress of the Britannian Empire, suggestions had been thrown around by Her advisors regarding the symbol of the destruction of the previous Capital. While the general consensus had been that in order to restore the image of Britannian invincibility, the massive crater should be refilled and the gargantuan labyrinth of steel corridors and buildings that usually comprised centers of Britannian cities built anew, Her Majesty had calmly waved off their advice and began planning a project of her own.

The Gardens of Peace, she had called them, the soft smile gracing her young, flawless visage still giving Zero heartache. In a revolutionary move, the scar on the landscape had been transformed into a series of terraces and platforms filled with all sorts of plants, both local and exotic.

Intermittently connected with walkways decorated with murals and paintings by young artists of Pendragon depicting scenes of faraway landscapes and tranquility, the gardens quickly became a worldwide sensation, drawing people from far away lands to see the Empress's masterpiece.

Britannian citizens have come to embrace the new addition to the city fully, and laughter could be heard among the trees, carried by the gentle wind whispering through the branches.

The Empress had taken to visiting the place regularly, bringing her dark clad protector's stress levels to new heights. The quiet humming of the wheels on plasteel as he pushed her along one of the larger platforms gave him a semblance of comfort, though he kept shooting wary glances to their surroundings.

"Am I causing you trouble, Zero?" she asked, craning her neck up to look at him, her adorably large blue eyes reflecting upside-down in the dark mask he wore.

"There are currently sixty five members of the Royal Guard cordoning off this and four nearest platforms, Your Majesty." he replied quietly "Additionally, a hundred and fifty officers of the city's police department have been placed in the gardens, with four squads of Knightmares ready to move at the first sign of trouble." he finished, looking at the distant lights of the city to his left.

"How odd!" she exclaimed, leaning back and sighing in happiness at the comfort of her newly upgraded wheelchair "Who would have thought that simply going out for a stroll in my gardens would cause such a fuss." she paused, looking down at her dress "Well, not quite a stroll just yet, is it?" she laughed, making him sigh.

Gathering the very finest minds in the field of medicine in Britannia, he had insisted on having her paralysis-ridden legs looked at yet again. With the recent advances in technology, it was estimated that a partial reconstruction of the nerve system was required, and the Empress was eager to have it done as soon as possible. While the process to recovery would be long, her unrelenting enthusiasm was more than enough to keep them both optimistic.

"I'm sure Your subjects prefer strolling through the gardens to traipsing around the Palace aimlessly." Zero replied neutrally, the earpiece inside of his black dome providing a constant drone of reports around them.

Nunnally laughed "How delightful! I find myself feeling gleeful at the thought of feeling the grass between my toes again." she confessed, looking at the dark grass field to their right "It's been so long since I felt it - it makes my thoughts drift to Aries Villa." she paused, her mouth curling into a frown.

A flick of his eyes to a top down projection on the left side of his helmet showed no one within hearing range, causing him to hum in agreement.

Silence fell on their little corner of the yard as they rounded a bend past the tulip fields.

"You know Jeremiah will relay anything you have to say to him." he murmured, looking away towards the large fountain set in the centre of the circle of flowers to their right.

"I'd prefer not to give him more things to worry about," she waved him off "he's got enough on his plate as it is, and, for all I know, he might break down if he receives a message from me." she smiled fondly, "Nii-san never did take well to surprises."

Pausing, she appeared to consider something "Do you think she's with him?"

C.C. had disappeared hours before Lelouch's death, taking what little she owned with her. Questions were raised where the green-haired mistress of the Demon Emperor had gone off to, but Zero had ruthlessly quashed every single one of them upon her final request.

"That woman is as smart as she is annoying," he said, "I've no doubt they make a perfect pair."

They both considered it for a moment before Nunnally burst into laughter and even Suzaku cracked a smile at the thought of Lelouch and C.C. constantly bickering and hushing each other while trying to stay hidden from public view.

"I remember meeting her at Ashford," Nunnally thought back to her time in hiding, "walking in and telling me how delighted she was to meet her boyfriend's sister."

And meet her she had, if only for a short while. Nunnally was used to being on the receiving end of sorrow, compassion, and worst of all, pity from those she met. During her time in Area 11, she had made precious little true friends. Most of the students on campus knew about her, but it rarely went past simple acquaintance.

The one exception was the Ashford Student Council. Spearheaded by Milly's boneheaded optimism, the rest of them quickly took a special place in her heart, and she was proud to call them her friends, something that had made Lelouch happier than she'd ever heard him be before.

"Did she now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise, "How did he react?"

"He stormed out of the room dragging her behind him when she said they were going to get married," Nunnally smiled "I hope he didn't get too angry with her, she's a delightful person."

"My buddy always had a short temper," he confessed in a slightly raspy, electronic voice carried through the helmet "that thin skin of his caused many a fight between us." smirking, he continued "Though I won all of them, that little weakling never had a chance."

She punched his hand, causing him to flinch back with a chuckle, "We should really be heading back, Your Majesty. It's getting late."

"I suppose. It is rather stuffy in there, though, isn't it? I'm going to have a talk with the redecorators, some of that old furniture needs to be thrown out of my chambers." she said, tapping her fingers on the arm of the chair.

"As you wish, My Lady, I'll arrange it." he said, steering her back to the waiting limousine and nodding to the two elite members of the Royal Guard as they opened the door, lowering the ramp to let her in.

"Won't you be coming back to the Palace, Zero?" she asked, settling in and lowering the window as the guards entered through the other door, their helmets turning around and scanning the area.

"I'm afraid the day is not over for me yet," he replied, looking towards the towering spires in the distance, "I'll meet you tomorrow morning."

"Take care, Lord Protector." she ordered, pressing a button to raise the window back up as the heavily reinforced limousine pulled out and drove off, quickly followed by a small entourage of the Royal Guard in their rather conspicuous black and purple vehicles.

He stalked off towards a distant wing of the Palace, drawing his cloak tighter around him as a squad of purple Knightmares flew past with a loud hum, stirring up dust and shaking the treetops for a moment before silence returned to the dimly lit garden, only interrupted by chirping cries of its residents.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Robert groaned, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. The rest of the men around the table hid smirks behind their hands at his discomfort before laying down their cards face up on the white plastic table. A red haired man with a large full beard, noticeably taller than anyone around him let out a rolling laugh, "Bad luck, lad, eh?" he asked, eyes shining with mirth.

Robert passed a hand through his short cropped blonde hair and grimaced, "I'm starting to think trading out my post with Stevens so I could have a nice, calm evening wasn't such a good idea."

The other man gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up "Aye, but don't worry, I'll put your crowns to good use."

"Would join you if I could." Robert replied, working out the kinks in his neck as he moved towards his locker on the other side of the room "Don't spend it all in one place, Archie. They'll think you're trying to buy the entire brothel."

Compared to usual Britannian guard rooms, this one was fairly spacious. Along with the usual benches, lockers and the armory in the back, there was an area with a few couches for rest and relaxation - and even a vending machine, collectively referred to as 'That bloody bastard' due to its prices. While Britannia took good care of her soldiers, the men currently stationed in the newly built prison in one of the lower wings of the Palace were far from the elites such as the Royal Guard, and therefore low on the priority list.

Archibald, commonly referred to as 'Archie' shook his head as he gathered the coins and bills from the table, shoving them into his wallet "'Tis what I have to deal with since Lessie left me. Those girls know how to make a man happy, though."

The rest of the men roared with laughter, knowing exactly which place he was talking about. While there was no shortage of women in the Palace, they were in most cases either in menial positions or amongst the nobility. The former were mostly older women, with the latter being virtually untouchable due to their status, leaving the single soldiers with little choice.

Women could be found extensively throughout the Military, but mostly in logistics, owing to their weaker physique. Their one saving grace was the Knightmare Corps, which, whilst having incredibly strict training procedures and regulations, found a decently large number of them serving on the front lines, though in no way matching their male counterparts.

While they were not exactly 'grunts', being in the Imperial Palace, prison guard duty was hardly exciting or important. Long shifts, little space to move in and constant mind numbing boredom made it a safe, albeit tiring job.

"Still, it was quite the surprise when those Royal Guards dragged that guy in yesterday, wasn't it?" one of the men said, leaning back and crossing his arms. Another nodded, "Those masks creep me out. Didn't even get a good look at him, they just tossed him in and left." they all murmured in agreement, "I wonder why the Empress didn't change those uniforms of theirs." one said before being interrupted by Archie, his eyes flashing with slight frustration, "I'm sure she has a reason, lad, and we're not nearly paid enough to bother with it, eh?"

"Hear, hear." the other man said, "Say, did I tell you the one about the noblewoman and her pony?" he began with a smirk.

"Going to have to miss out on the details, sadly," Robert said, pulling his rifle free from the locker and inspecting it, before moving towards the door "Going back on patrol. Make sure your bloody communicators are on."

Roaring laughter answered him as one of the guards finished a joke, Archie raising a hand in greeting and nodding as he laughed along.

The reinforced door slid to the side as he touched the panel on the right, the inbuilt sensor recognizing his biosignal and beeping in affirmative, before sliding shut behind him and blocking out most of the sound.

Hefting the rifle on his shoulder, the strap across his chest, he set off through the well lit corridor, the footsteps of his military boots clicking on the plasteel surface as he made his way towards the gate that guarded the entrance to the 'VIP' prison cells.

Frowning, the blonde man mentally calculated how much of his paycheck he had lost tonight before shrugging. As a son of a rather well known noble and a rather unfortunate maid, he would have officially been branded a bastard if she ever chose to reveal his lineage. In exchange for silence, his mother had suddenly received a rather substantial amount of money and retired to the Britannian countryside decades ago, leaving him with a decently-sized income from his father that managed to find itself deposited into his account every month.

While he could technically live on his father's money alone, he had joined the military at an early age, eager to serve his country in any way he could. So far, he had no regrets.

Approaching a small room that served as a security checkpoint, he shifted the weight around and knocked on the glass, the man inside waving him through after a brief glance and a push of a button to unlock the reinforced gate leading outside.

Nodding in return, he pushed it open, feeling a wisp of fresh air snake across his cheek for the first time in hours, the warm air of a typical evening in Pendragon feeling rather pleasant after the cold interior.

It opened into a small, yet well lit and fenced courtyard. A stone path led from the nondescript door to a flight of stairs on the far left, being the only exit. A pair of men in full uniform stood on each side of the door, their weapons held at the ready as they stood guard at the entrance.

They turned to look at him as the door opened, the one on the right chuckling, "Here to replace me?" he said, the voice coming out slightly raspy from his full helmet. Pulling the weapon over his shoulder, he jogged in place for a few seconds, eager to finally move his legs.

Robert grimaced before nodding, pulling his own helmet free from the belt which it was securely clipped to, "Traded out with Stevens, thought I could make some money from the lads."

The other man chuckled, already moving to get inside, "Archie was there?"

"Why do you think I'm here early?" he responded, mumbling curses under his breath as he put the helmet on, the Britannian coat of arms flashing over his left eye as it linked with the small power pack in his suit and projected a hologram directly onto his iris.

"Tough luck, I'll see if I can get some of it back. Wouldn't want you to feel lonely."

"Yes, yes, get on with it." he grumbled, pulling the rifle and holding it in an alert carry, preparing for a long, dreary night.

The mocking snort was cut short as the door slammed shut behind the retreating man, leaving them in silence, broken only by distant sounds of city life, the bright lights of the city in the distance flickering through the night.

0o0o0o0o0o0

_**One hour later**_

_**\- Britannian Mainland 00:03 BST - **_

_**(Britannian Standard Time)**_

0o0o0o0o0o0

It was dark in here.

He shifted on the soft - _too soft_ \- mattress, flipping to his back and staring at the _white_ \- _too white_, _too white_, _everything was too white _\- ceiling.

They had moved him somewhere else. There were no windows here, no stones, no tools to dig his way out. Everything was made out of the same white - _too white_, _too white_ \- plastic material.

The chair, the desk, the toilet, even the door was impossible to see from the inside, a part of it sliding to the left when his meals were deposited, before flawlessly folding back into the material.

There was nothing to do. Nothing to read, nothing to watch, no one to talk to, nothing.

Therefore, he was quite surprised when a voice called out to him softly, "Prime Minister Schneizel?"

Barring his teeth like a wild animal, he was up in a flash, throwing his blanket aside and snarling at the intruder, "Zero!" he screamed, spit flying everywhere as he tried to focus on something, _anything_ in the dark, "It's you, isn't it? Zero!"

A light suddenly flooded the room, the unidentified figure flicking a switch on a handheld lamp. It illuminated Schneizel in terrifying detail, making the other man suck in a startled breath, "They've really done a number on you, haven't they?" he said in heavily accented Britannian.

The former Prince was a shade of his former self, his once luscious golden locks cut short a long time long ago, the current hairstyle a dirty mess falling on his shoulders. He had obviously lost weight, too, the nondescript grey uniform falling over his skeletal frame. Bony hands with dirty fingernails clenched and unclenched rapidly, his bare feet shifting left to right as he struggled to keep his footing on the cold floor.

The other man's face contorted with disgust before smoothing over once again into a neutral mask. He sighed, tiny pinpricks of blue in the darkness focused on Schneizel before speaking, "I'm not Zero, you fool. Look at me."

"It's useless, I told you." Schneizel replied, a rare gleam of sanity entering his eyes even as the left side of his face twitched unconsciously, "There's nothing, there's nothing I can do!" he finished, the shout abruptly turning into normal speech. Wringing his hands together, he waited, his dirty toes curling and uncurling against the floor.

"Insane." the other man murmured, waging his options, "I thought we could use you, but you're useless to us. There's nothing I can do for you."

Schneizel laughed, sitting back down on the bed, "You can't touch me. You can't do anything. You can't." he said confidently, ruining the facade with a giggle, "Zero won't let you."

"Zero's time will come." the man replied, "But not today. Today, I'm here for you." he said, putting down the lamp on the table and turning around, the light illuminating a young man in his late twenties. Short black hair covered his head, starting high over his forehead. The rough, cleanly shaven and distinctly Eastern-European features were carved into an emotionless mask as he pulled out a long serrated blade.

Schneizel's eyes widened, suddenly realizing the danger he was in, "No! _Kanon_, seize him! _Kanon_! Where are you?"

"For the record, I am sorry." he said, grabbing Schneizel by the throat in an iron grip and raising the knife high before plunging it down.

As he started his gruelling work, he did his best to ignore the screaming, glad that the cell was at least somewhat soundproof.

0o0o0o0o0o0

A good while later, as midnight came and went, the guards were startled by the clicking of boots on the stairs as a dark shape came into view. Dressed in blacks and purples with barest hints of yellow, its ominous visage losing none of its intimidation as it came into view of the lamps.

They both relaxed, lowering their rifles and greeted it with their fists over their hearts, their heads lowered.

"Be at ease, soldiers." came the rough voice, turning slightly mechanical through the helmet mounted speakers, "Anything to report?"

Robert raised his head, "Nothing, Lord Protector. Just surprised to see you, we don't get many visitors, especially so late at night." he said, sharing a look with the other man who shrugged, as if to say 'not paid enough to bother asking.'

"I'm here for an inspection." Zero replied, moving towards the entrance, "If you would be so kind as to lead me, soldier, I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the new facilities." he gestured towards Robert as he opened the door.

"Of course, sir." he quickly replied, nodding at the other guard to let him know he'd send a replacement.

With a bang, the gate slammed shut behind them. Robert took his helmet off to make it easier for the guard on duty to recognize him, only to see, to his surprise, two people inside the shielded checkpoint already bowing to Zero, "My Lord, it's an honour." said the gatekeeper he had seen earlier.

Zero waved him off, "It's good to see that soldiers of Britannia are always on alert." He paused, looking at the other individual, "Are you quite alright? You have smoke coming out of your ears, man."

Robert gritted his teeth together as he quickly interjected to save Archie, who had clearly opted to swallow a cigar in a desperate attempt to hide it as he saw Zero come in, "He's merely raring for action, my Lord. If you'd just follow me." he said, subtly pushing Zero along as he waved a hand at the guard to let them through.

With a loud beep, the gate opened and he shuffled them through, doing his best to ignore the loud coughing behind him and praying Zero wouldn't hear it. The detectors on their sides stayed silent, disabled upon recognizing Zero's identity.

"Ah, I see. He should join us, then. It wouldn't be proper to leave a hot blooded young man idle like that; you never know what could happen." Zero nodded, his amusement almost palpable.

The door to the checkpoint opened and a suspiciously red faced Archibald came out, bowing his head "At your service, M'Lord." he said in a rough, strained voice, quickly falling into step on the other side, rifle slung over his shoulder.

"I trust there are no problems with your lodgings?" Zero broke the silence, "I'm afraid this is the best we can do, given the high security nature of the facility."

"None whatsoever, Lord." Robert quickly said, his glare halting any complaints Archie was about to start listing, "Everything is in order, we're finding it more comfortable than any of our previous assignments."

"Bloody field beds can make anything seem comfortable." the red-haired man grumbled out before letting out another rattling cough. His eyes suddenly widened as he realized who he was talking to, "I apologize, Lord, it's not my place to complain."

Zero laughed as they got closer to the guard rooms, "While I would normally reprimand you for criticizing military equipment, I know fully well how uncomfortable those things are. It is forgiven."

"However," he continued, as they passed the door and continued down the corridor, "I'm afraid my business is fairly urgent. Is this the way to the holding cells?"

"Aye, M'Lord." said Archie, uncharacteristically quietly, "Though all we know is that one of them is occupied. The poor bugger was brought in by the Praetorians with a bag over his head yesterday evening, and we just shove the food in without seeing 'im as ordered."

Zero nodded, "Good, I hope I'll have some time to spare afterwa-" he suddenly stopped, looking left and right in the empty corridor. The two men shared a look, puzzled by his behavior.

"Are you alright, Lord?" Robert asked.

Raising a hand in a demand for silence, Zero remained quiet for a moment, "I thought I heard… who's on duty at the cells right now?"

Robert grimaced, "It's Stevens, sir. Technically, it was supposed to be me, but…"

Zero ignored him, stalking around the corner ahead of them and entering a medium sized room, holding a desk with an inbuilt computer paired with a chair and little else. Three doors occupied the wall to their right, presumably leading to the cells.

A short, brown haired man stood up from the desk, blinking in shock at his sudden appearance before bowing, "M-my Lord!"

Robert and Archibald filed into the room, looking around in confusion, their weapons now held loosely in their grips owing to Zero's odd behavior.

"You there, did the prisoner make any noise a short while ago?" Zero spat out, making the young man blink in surprise, "Y-yes, he screams every now and then, your Lordship, but we've gotten used to it. Completely bonkers, that one." he responded, nodding.

Ignoring him, Zero stalked over to the cell door and held his gloved palm up for inspection by the small panel set next to the door. An acknowledging beep resounded, and the door soundlessly slid out before sliding into the wall to his left.

Suzaku gasped audibly, his eyes widening in shock at what he saw.

The cell was likely completely white at some point. The walls would have been featureless, their solid colour marred with not a single flaw to grasp onto. Likewise, the floor, made out of the same material as the walls themselves would be impossible to even scratch.

What made him gasp was the sheer amount of blood currently splattered around the room. It dripped down the walls in copious amounts, the dark red contrasting sharply with the blinding white. The floor must have been exceedingly slippery, for it too was practically swimming in red, with various pieces of viscera floating around in the puddles.

Schneizel himself seemed to have been crudely crucified to the wall next to his bed. Fresh trickles of blood dripped down his arms, down the torso and the legs before finally dripping from his toes which were raised barely a few centimeters from the floor, in a soft, steady drip.

His teeth bared, Suzaku turned around and practically growled, "Guards! Seize him!" he yelled, pointing at the man behind the desk whose eyes widened, mouth opening in silent shock.

Archie reacted first, sprinting across the room and slamming Stevens's face down onto the desk making him grunt in pain. He pulled his hands behind his back in a rough hold, kicking his legs apart before looking up, "Robert!" he yelled.

The blonde, still reeling from what he saw behind Zero blinked before nodding and stepping over to frisk the man who was now silent, likely in shock, "Just the regular issue firearm, Lord. No knife or anything." he yelled to Zero.

Seething with rage, Suzaku barely managed to reply, "Get him back to the guard rooms and send some men over." Archie nodded, roughly handcuffing him and kicking him towards the corridor, rifle aimed squarely at his back.

"I didn't- I couldn't-" Stevens repeated over and over, his tongue finally working, "Please, Lord! I didn't do anything!" he grunted as Archie roughly kicked his bottom, growling "Quiet!"

Ignoring him, Zero looked at Robert, "Sound the alarm and seal this facility. If it's not him, the murderer could still be here.", His brain was desperately trying to decipher how this could have happened. All of the men were carefully scrutinized and served in the military for years before being deployed to the high security facility. Had there been a mistake? Had he unknowingly gotten the former Prime Minister killed?

The blonde nodded, activating his headpiece, "It's Robert. The prisoner has been murdered, seal off the prison and sound the general alarm!" he said grimly, furious and embarrassed that something like this would occur while the Lord Protector himself was visiting,

"No! Don't contact the rest of the Palace; we're waiting for Zero's orders. Just seal the damn wing, no one gets in or out!"

As the deep, rolling sound of an alarm siren began to resonate through the room, with previously hidden red lights extending from the ceiling and flashing, Zero stalked into the room, his black boots leaving waves in the puddles of blood as he approached the man.

Schneizel had shallow cuts over most of his arms and legs. Not deep enough to kill him, but still enough to cause what had no doubt been an immense pain. The cause of death seemed to be rather obvious up close, he realized, with his lips tightening with disgust. The stomach had been sliced cleanly open, the intestines spilling open and likely spreading such a disgusting stench that he was glad to have his well filtrated mask on at that particular moment.

The corpse's head was bowed down over its chest, the dirty mop of hair hiding his expression and obscuring the upper part of his torso. Still, he was obviously dead, if not from the stomach wound, then from the sheer amount of blood pooled around the room.

The expression behind the black faceplate grim, Suzaku seized the blonde locks and pulled the face up, cursing loudly at what he saw. His eyes had been removed, and owing to the sheer amount of cuts around them, it was likely that he had been alive and struggling during the process. Bloody trails trickled down his face in a twisted parody of tears.

What made him curse out loud again, however, was not the ruined state of his face. On his chestplate, seemingly carved with great care, was a perfectly sliced Geass symbol. The curved sides almost made it seem like a smile, though he was finding it hard to laugh at anything.

Removing his hand, Suzaku sighed, before closing his eyes and sighing in an attempt to calm himself. He blink clicked a name on the left side of the holographic projection inside his mask, showing no surprise when Jeremiah's tired face appeared, "Zero? Is there a problem?"

Turning around to look at the blonde man who had escorted him now standing by the door with the weapon at the ready, then back to the corpse, Suzaku seethed at the sheer impudence of the murderer working right under his nose. "Schneizel is dead." he informed him, making Jeremiah's remaining eye widened in shock before narrowing in anger, "Murder? I thought he was in a secure cell."

Suzaku let out a rattling breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them, "I'll handle things down here. Seal the Palace, _quietly_, I don't want a word of this getting out before we're ready." he paused for a moment, considering their options, "Don't tell the Empress anything either if she's asleep, I'm not disturbing her rest. Double- no, triple the guard on her chambers."

He paused, breathing heavily, "Jeremiah, they carved the symbol of _Geass_ on his chest." On the other side of the Palace, Jeremiah Gottwald's blood froze in his veins, his face contorting with fury, "_No_! _He_ killed all of them, that's impossible!" he roared, slamming hand on his table, "I refuse to even consider that-"

"We either have a Geass user on the loose, or someone knows more than they should." Zero calmly responded, yet he was no doubt as furious as Jeremiah on the inside, "I want you to head up to her personally as soon as we can puzzle out how this happened." he watched as blood slowly dripped down Schneizel's feet onto the floor, leaving ripples in its wake, "I suggest you stay in your office and start preparing a speech, we'll need to address the Empire as soon as we can."

Jeremiah nodded, his clenched hand shaking as he listened, "I will. If there's a maniac with a Geass running around, there's nothing we have that would work better than my Geass breaker. Should I tell Anya to head up to her as well? She'll be landing soon."

"Is she back from her assignment already?" Suzaku replied, pleasantly surprised, "Yes, that's a good idea. I'll get up there as soon as I finish interrogating the incompetent fool that was supposed to be guarding the cells."

He turned around as more armed soldiers piled into the room, awaiting his orders. Their faces were grim as they beheld the ghastly scene, but to their credit, they stayed silent, "This is a fine mess we've gotten ourselves into." he muttered.

As he turned around to give them orders, no one seemed to notice a roughly man shaped outline on one of the cell's walls, just barely visible as slightly paler than the surface slowly pulse with a white light before disappearing entirely, leaving only the blood spattered wall behind.

0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it or have any comments or criticisms.


	4. Chapter 4

0o0o0o0o0o0

**\- At the same time, skies above Pendragon - **

0o0o0o0o0o0

Wind howled as a monstrously large shadow coasted through the night, high above even the tallest towers of the Britannian Capital. It broke through the cloud cover with the barest hint of a whisper, its purple frame shedding off moisture with ease as it righted itself, the feet-mounted thrusters accelerating towards the Royal Palace with a roar.

Unmoved by the slight turbulence of the speed increase as the autopilot took over, the Knight of Two leaned back in her padded seat, biting her lip in concentration as she carefully traced a finger over the screen of her device, her pink eyes narrowed.

Compared to a Vincent Ward, or even a Gareth currently used by the largest part of the Britannian Armed Forces, Mordred's Cockpit was positively luxurious, with ample space to slide the heavily-padded seat back into a comfortable recliner. A small ventilation shaft quietly murmured from above, with a small screen informing the occupant that the temperature was at a comfortable 22°. Large screens at her sides overlaid the current speed and altitude over a live camera feed of the dark cloud tops flying by at a deceptively slow speed, the thick armour and padding blocking out any outside noise completely.

A jaunty little tune blared out of the phone, shortly accompanied by a bright yellow 'YOU LOSE' sign with an angry looking cheese-kun caricature waving his arms up at her. The pink-haired pilot sighed in disappointment. Putting the device in her lap with a sad look, her white gloved hand curled into a fist with a vow to the little creature to do better next time, before closing it with a snap and making herself comfortable.

Even at mach five, the long flight over the Pacific was a slow one. Anya was returning from an official visit to the Chinese mainland, in the secondary UFN Headquarters where she had accompanied the Britannian representative, one Nicholas Burton. While she was supposed to pay attention to the talks as the official escort sent by the Empress, the sheer amount of political discussion and documentation regarding the renegotiation of a trade deal had managed to overwhelm her rather short attention span, and she had left the bulk of negotiation to the representative, opting to take long walks around the spacious gardens of the place instead.

The representative was returning to the homeland on a private jet with a Vincent Ward Air escort which she had long left behind with a half-hearted excuse of Knights of Round duties, eager to return to her quarters in the Royal Palace and the soft bed and warm bath that awaited her after the long journey. With a smile, she closed her eyes.

The rubber duck, pink bubbled haze was forcibly lifted from her mind with a shake of her head, the pink curls flying left and right as the radar and communicator beeped at the same time, warning her of an incoming call.

Sighing, she uncrossed her legs and pulled a lever to bring the seat forward with a mechanical buzz. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she grabbed the commands, pressing a button to open the video link from the incoming fliers.

With a crackle, her screen was replaced with a live feed from the inside of what seemed to be a fighter jet, prompting an arched pink eyebrow. The pilot saluted with a fist over his heart, the reflective helmet with an air tube bowing slightly, "Knight of Two, we weren't expecting you this early, is there a problem with the delegation?" he queried, his tone slightly distorted through the mask.

"No… Gryphon one," she responded softly after a quick gaze to the identifying plates on her radar, "I'm in a hurry, and the delegation should be half an hour behind me at most." pausing, her eyebrows narrowed in confusion, "I wasn't aware we had… aircraft patrolling Pendragon. What happened to the Knightmare squads?"

The man quickly nodded, understanding she meant no insult. With the technological advancements of Knightmare frames and the sheer anti-air capabilities of even an older frame such as the Sutherland, fighter jets were a relic of the past, "Just a ceremonial escort, my Lady," he crackled back, "We do it for most returning delegations after a successful trip," he continued before she could answer, "We could escort you to the Palace, if it pleases you - we'll be circling the capital until they return anyway."

She considered her options. Denying their offer would get her home - and to a warm bath - faster, but it would also be rude to the poor men who had to pilot such a dangerous, outdated piece of technology. On the other hand, as the sole member of the Knights of Round, she had a reputation to uphold, and Jeremiah would probably be less than thrilled if he found out.

Anya's smile probably made his heart skip, though it was hard to tell with the reflective helmet he wore, "I'd be delighted, Gryphon one. Slowing down to mach one." she responded, deftly maneuvering the commands to lower thruster output and raising Mordred's massive shoulder mounted air brakes with a shudder to bring the speed down, rattling and jerking what was possibly the biggest pair of fuzzy dice in the universe hanging below the front screen.

"Appreciated, my Lady. We'll be there shortly." he responded, "Gryphon one out." with a click, the video feed switched off, replaced by the Britannian coat of arms once more.

Anya synchronized her navigational systems with the aircraft as they came about on each side with a roar of atmospheric engines, the autopilot slowing down to match their relative speed as the Palace appeared over the horizon, the lights from the towers visible even at this distance.

Leaning back and crossing her legs again, she closed her eyes and settled in for a quick nap.

0o0o0o0o0o0

With a resounding boom that rattled the heavily armoured Knightmare frame, the gargantuan shape finally settled into the supporting arms of the private pen in the hangar reserved for the use of the Knights of Round. Opening her eyes and blinking at the sudden light, she stretched her arms and legs with a groan, before engaging the docking routine with a few quick taps and setting the Yggdrasil power pack to recharge, the back of the Knightmare filling up with outside cables as previously hidden openings silently slid aside to provide access.

Finally tapping the door control to open the back of the frame, she was greeted with fresh air for the first time in hours as the gigantic hangar bay doors closed, blowing in the cold night air. The hangar was truly massive, designed to accommodate the custom Knightmare frames the Knights had. Looking around at the now empty pens around her, she smiled sadly.

Standing up, Anya threw on her official Knight of Round cloak with a grand flutter, securing it at her throat before grasping it close to keep the chill at bay. Landing on a platform slightly below the now extended seat, she threw the ground crew that stayed awake at this late hour because of her a grateful smile before stepping into the adjacent elevator and punching the button to lead her to the floor holding her private quarters.

As the doors closed, her phone started vibrating. Tentatively, she flipped it open to see Jeremiah's name. Her expression blank, she watched the name for a few moments until the vibrations stopped. Seemingly making a decision, she tapped through a menu and confidently pressed the 'POWER OFF' button before nodding in satisfaction and snapping it closed, humming a satisfied tune.

Perhaps it was petty. But the only person she had to answer to was the Empress herself, and she had no intention of waking her up in the middle of the night just to report on the success of the trade negotiations - it could wait.

The elevator's ascent came to an abrupt stop. With a whoosh, the metal doors slid open and she walked out into a grand hallway leading to the Round chambers. Her leather boots softly clicked over the polished marble floor as she passed by the massive columns on each side leading to a double wooden door flanked by a pair of the Empress's Royal Guard. Even with their opaque masks sheathed, the full face cover showed little emotion as they both saluted her in unison, the golden eye on their hats shining in the brightly lit corridor.

Nodding to them in thanks, she paused before entering, her hand hovering before the code panel guarding the entrance. Turning around, she pulled something out of the small bag she carried and held it to one of the guards. The tall man looked down at the offering for a few seconds, then turned to the girl with an unspoken question.

"Candy?" she broke the silence, waving it at him, his eyes following the red balls skewered on a stick as it bobbed up and down. She continued, oblivious to his confusion, "It's called tanghulu, I like it." pausing, she blinked a few times, "I brought some for the Empress too, you can have this one."

Looking at her again, the man carefully took the proffered stick with his free hand, the other busy with the tall, winged spear, "Thank you, my Lady." he said quietly, before looking straight ahead again, firmly keeping the amusement from his face.

Nodding, she turned the other man, "Good job." she said, offering him a second stick which he took gingerly, bowing his head in thanks. Turning around, she typed in the six digit code and held her hand for the biological scanner to confirm her status. With a beep, the door unlocked and swung open, permitting her entrance. Stepping inside, she closed it with a soft click, walking into a chamber even more opulent than the hallway outside and leaving two slightly happier men behind her.

Tall ceilings, polished marble floors and large columns seemed to be the norm for this wing of the Palace. Large golden motifs graced the walls to the either side of the entrance, with wide columns dotting the perimeter of the room. Directly opposite of the entrance, on the other side of the large room hung a large television set, topped by the Britannian coat of arms etched into the wall above it.

Anya paused behind one of the tall backed, stuffed armchairs that dotted the perimeter of the table, placing a hand on its side and allowing the memories to flood her for a moment. She remembered the times the other Knights would share the table, playing cards deep into the night or enjoying the large screen with a cup of freshly brewed tea, with Gino cracking his jokes and trying to lighten the stuffy atmosphere. Whenever they were free, of course. Charles kept them busy, and it was rare to see more than a few of them idle. They were, well, _most _of them, her family.

The girl's smile dropped as she realized the room would likely stay empty for the foreseeable future. The Knight of Zero was, of course, the man himself, with the title of The Knight of One permanently empty. After Lelouch's ascent to the throne, he had declared the position forbidden with a royal decree. So far, the new Empress had had little reason to rescind it.

Kallen Stadtfeld currently served the Empire as the newly crowned Knight of Three. Anya didn't know her well, though they had exchanged a few words during their imprisonment. As far as she knew, the girl was currently in Japan on some sort of an assignment. Anya didn't pry too much, Jeremiah would scold her if she did, and it wasn't as if she needed to know her location at all times. Although, she mused, looking around the empty room, it wouldn't be bad to have some company.

Gino had an unofficial permanent invitation to join, but after the fall of the Emperor, he had decided to stay at Ashford Academy. He seemed to prefer a quiet, relaxed life to one in the military, no matter how well paid it might be. She still kept in contact occasionally, but felt a bit distant. With control of her emotions for the first time in, well, nearly forever, she wasn't quite sure how to act around him.

The rest of them were gone. Either killed during the Demon Emperor's reign or fleeing, never to be found again. It was truly a shame, she thought, they would have liked Nunnally, much moreso than Charles.

Dragging her gaze away from the empty seats, she walked over to one of the many large wooden doors populating the walls of the common room. It opened with a creak, the pitch black room slowly being illuminated as the glow globes registered her entrance and adjusted accordingly. Closing the door behind her, she leaned her back against it and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Now that she was finally alone, she allowed herself to drop the outside façade and relax for but a moment. Her emotions were still in a flux after being suppressed for so long, and feeling the occasional sudden burst of happiness or sadness still came to her as a shock.

Slouching over, she dropped the small bag on a table in the middle of her private chambers. Kicking off her boots by the door, she shuffled over to her bedroom, the door to which resided next to a medium sized bookshelf stocked with fantasy and mystery novels she often enjoyed, curled up in an armchair next to the fireplace on the other side of the room. Sitting down on the massive four poster bed in the other room, she allowed herself to drop down with an oomph onto the frilly white sheets, her mouth splitting into a dreamy grin as her abused shoulder blades sank into the soft mattress.

Being a Knight of Round certainly had its perks, the young girl thought approvingly. In addition to the privileges and funds awarded to one of such noble status, each of them had their own set of private rooms merely a floor below the Empress's personal chambers. In happier days, they would all gather in the common room and play boardgames, Anya remembered, waving her pink stocking clad legs up and down lazily. Most of them, at least - Luciano never took part, seemingly content enough to occasionally give them a disgusted look after coming out of the war room, which once prompted Gino to throw a chess piece at him. She truly regretted not using her camera to capture the ensuing ruckus on that day.

A shrill ringing made her glance sharply to the right, where a wall mounted screen was demanding her attention, informing her of an incoming call. Jumping off, she stretched her arms and walked right past it. Taking off her hairband and throwing it to the floor, she shook her hair free, letting her luscious pink locks fall down her back. Entering the bathroom, she started filling the gigantic tub with boiling hot water, smiling when she heard the ringing stop. As she waited, the pink-haired girl wasted no time in taking off her clothes and throwing them to the floor, hopping on one leg as she took off her other sock before entering the tub, wincing at the hot water. Settling against the side of the large jacuzzi bath taking up the bigger part of the room, the Knight of Two closed her eyes and sighed in happiness, submerging her head in the water.

Heavy footsteps approached the door, pausing outside as their owner hesitated for a moment, before cautiously stepping into the bathroom and opening their mouth only to be interrupted as a gunshot rang out, the round whizzing past their face and making a hole in the wall merely centimeters away. His face frozen, the Royal Guard stood at attention, completely still.

Breathing heavily, Anya Alstreim kept her sidearm at the ready, water dripping down her slender figure with only an occasional wisp of steam hiding her modesty, "Do you know what the punishment for trespassing into a Knight's room is?" she asked quietly, her voice echoing through the tiled room.

"The Minister of War is requesting your presence, my Lady." the man replied, his adam's apple nervously bobbing up and down below his neck guard as he kept his gaze firmly fixed on the tiles in front of him, not daring to move his gaze, "I deeply apologize, but he said it was of utmost urgency and you weren't answering his calls."

The following pause made him clench his teeth, fully prepared to receive his punishment if needed. He had gone through grueling training, first in the military, then in preparation to serve in the Empress's personal guard - neither of which taught him how to safely intrude on a naked woman with a gun. Another moment passed before the girl spoke, "Did he say anything else?" she asked, putting her pistol back down and sliding down the side of the large bathtub, the bubbling water covering her up to her neck.

"You are to head up to the Empress's chambers as soon as you can, we're being told there might be an intruder.", he relayed the order, turning around to exit, "Once again, I apologize for the intrusion, but it is of utmost hurry that you come up as soon as you can."

As the door closed behind him, Anya squinted up at the yellow ceiling, before standing up and reaching for a towel. It seemed her bath would have to wait.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Zero leaned against the hallway's wall, his head bowed. Half a dozen soldiers stood in front of the door leading to the dormitory they had been casually playing cards in merely half an hour ago, their expressions grim as they stood at attention, determined not to have another murder happen on their watch.

Ignoring them, the black clad man watched Jeremiah's face projected onto the inside of his helmet, seething on the inside as the man talked, "Anya is on her way to the Empress, I've announced a state of emergency and doubled the guard on all the exits. I have teams sweeping the entire building from top to bottom, that bastard is not getting out of here alive - if he hasn't escaped already." pausing to move a stack of papers over, he continued, "How are things on your end?"

A pained cry followed by loud yelling in roughly accented Britannian came from the closed door, making one of the guards shuffle uncomfortably "Good." he responded, "I want to be informed as soon as anything is discovered. And, Jeremiah…", the young man paused, "If the Empress wakes up, bring her up to speed. I'll be there shortly."

"As you wish, Zero. It shall be done.", Jeremiah nodded with a sigh, ending the connection with a press of a button and leaving Suzaku in silence. Raising a hand, he brought it in front of his mask, clenching it into a fist, deep in thought. There were no cameras inside of the holding cell, due to Schneizel's status and lineage. The Empress might have unlimited power - but old blood and old money still had their weight. Madman or not, some of the nobles still held sympathies for the name of El Britannia.

All of the entrances were carefully monitored, and so were the hallways. Whoever did this either had inside help and knew too much, or - he let out a breath, calming himself down - was a Geass user. A freak of nature, an abomination. And here he was, powerless to defend against them, powerless to defend his Empress.

Leaning away from the wall, he stalked into the room. The table had been thrown aside to make room for the cuffed man who sat on one of the chairs previously occupied by the men, his teeth clenched. Fresh tears started dropping as he saw Zero walk into the room. Before he could say anything, Archibald's fist smashed into his face yet again, jerking his head back with a grunt, sweat flying through the air, "Who did you help?! I swear to God, lad, if you don't start bleedin' talking I'm only going to get worse!" he shouted at the man who simply shook his bloody head in response, babbling incoherently.

Seeing Zero's dark shape step into the light, the tall bearded men straightened into a salute, "My Lord."

"What has he told you?", Zero asked, circling around the seated man like a predator. He had told the large man to spare no punches, and it was showing. One of his eyes was firmly shut, the ugly purple bruise covering a large part of his forehead. A few teeth had clearly been knocked loose, as fresh blood spilled out his mouth, mixing with the stream coming from his cut cheek and leaving a large part of his face a bloody red-purple mess.

"Can't get a bloody thing out of him. Either very well trained, or he's telling the truth, yer Lordship." he replied quietly, looking down at him neutrally.

"I see. Give us a few moments.", Suzaku said, pulling out a chair and placing it opposite of the quietly weeping man.

Saluting, Archie moved over to Robert, who was seated in a chair on the other side of the room, head held in hands. He leaned against the wall, shaking his hand to relieve some of the pain in his knuckles after the pounding he had administered, "How're you holding up?" he asked quietly, watching as Zero leaned forward in his seat.

The blonde man leaned back, cupping his chin, "Bloody awful, that's how. You think the bastard did it?"

"Nay, I've known him for a wee while, he doesn't have the heart for it. If he did, he was either threatened or bought." Archibald responded, shaking his head.

"They're going to string me up if he did, Archie. It's my fault, if I hadn't traded with him-", Robert began, only to have the other man roughly tap him on the head with a fist, "You didn't do anythin', I'll vouch for you, and so will all of the lads in here."

Rubbing his hand, he continued, "Besides, you were out there when _he _arrived, there's no way anyone could have gotten in. This is some spooky stuff, it's as if they simply floated through the wall, like a bleedin' ghost.", he shivered, watching as Zero gestured with his hand, saying something to Stevens who was looking at him with rapt attention, nodding along.

Suddenly standing up, Zero nodded to the man before noticing them and walking over, prompting Robert to jump with a salute, his face unusually pale as he watched the approaching figure.

"Your sidearm, if you will." he said, holding out a hand towards Robert. Archie stepped forward with a grimace, "M'Lord, he-"

"He's not in trouble, soldier." Zero cut him off, not moving his gaze. Fumbling with his belt, Robert quickly handed it over to the masked man who placed it on one of the free chairs before crossing his arms.

The dark, round mask focused on him, seemingly staring into his very soul as long seconds ticked by, "I have reason to believe Mr. Stevens is innocent in this case.", at long last he announced. Robert let out a huge breath, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

Zero looked at Archie and nodded in the direction of the bleeding man, "Set him free and patch him up, but keep watch. I want at least a dozen men inside of this room at all times, and he's not to leave until I say so." turning back towards Robert as the bearded man saluted and walked away, he continued, "As for you, you'll be coming with me to explain to Minister Gottwald what has occurred here tonight, in _detail_."

The blonde man's throat went dry, at a loss for words as he realized the gravity of the situation. They never asked questions, they weren't allowed to. But he was willing to bet an heir to the Britannian throne didn't end up in a cell so easily. Without pause, Suzaku continued, "I believe I know who might be responsible, and it's not you. But so help me, Mr. _Ashford_, if I find out you had anything to do with this, it will not end well for you."

"How did you-", he gasped, his eyes going wide upon hearing a name only a few were privy to, and certainly not one his comrades would know him by.

Zero turned around with a grand flutter of his dark cloak, looking back at him, the mask reflecting the dim light on its opaque surface, "Follow me."

Shakily nodding, he quickly followed the man outside, his footsteps feeling unusually heavy.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Robert sat in the anteroom of the Minister's office, feeling quite uncomfortable and unwelcome on one of the plushy visitor couches against the wall. The pretty, smiling secretary had offered him a beverage, but he had declined, preferring to feast on his nerves instead.

Zero had entered through the large padded door over fifteen minutes ago, and still wasn't showing signs of being done any time soon, leaving the blonde man in an uncomfortable silence interrupted only by the ticking of the ancient grandfather clock beside the door and the soft tapping of the secretary's keyboard, as she performed some doubtlessly important task for the Marquis.

Walking through the upper floors of the palace after Zero, he had felt distinctly out of place in his uniform amongst all the suited men and women shuffling around. Even in the middle of the night, the well oiled Britannian machine never stopped running, fed by blood, sweat and seemingly vast amounts of paper, to his surprise. Even in an age where computers appeared everywhere, paper copies seemed to be the prefered method of storing information.

He had considered it outdated and a bit silly, before a murmured question to one of the staffers that came and went got him an answer, "You can't hack paper." he had said, pushing the glasses up his nose before running off, no doubt carrying an important stack of papers related to the latest tariffs on tobacco imported from the UFN or something or other.

It was truly a wonder that the upper wings of the palace were so alive and active even at such a late hour. Down in the barracks, they would be resting or gambling, the unfortunate few having to keep the night watch. The training fields would be utterly empty, with no soul in sight., yet up here, it seemed like the busiest part of the day was only starting.

"Mr. Conway?" the secretary's melodic voice brought him out of his musings, "Minister Gottwald is requesting your presence."

He bolted upright, a fresh wave of anxiety that couldn't be removed by inbuilt Britannian discipline coursing through him once more. Nodding, he quietly opened the door and let himself in the office.

The room was full of smoke, was his first thought, his eyes watering at the rich aroma permeating the air. It was dimly lit, with the primary light source being the large fireplace on the other side of the room. He spied Zero's imposing form standing in front of it, arms crossed behind his back as he stared into the flames. Two high backed armchairs faced the roaring fire, surrounding a small table with an ashtray holding the cigar that seemed to be the culprit for the smell.

"Robert Ashford, is it?", came a voice from one of the occupied armchairs. It picked up the cigar and waved him over, "Come, take a seat."

"Yes, my Lord." he said, saluting reflexively before feeling like an utter fool. To his luck, neither of the men seemed to notice or care, preferring to enjoy the silence instead. He quickly made his way around the large business desk and maneuvered himself into the empty armchair before he could do anything else so foolish.

It was then when he got his first proper look at Jeremiah Gottwald. Though a powerfully built man, he had yet to reach his prime, and seemed to be aware of it if the quiet confidence was anything to go by. The top few buttons of his white collared shirt were unbuttoned, the sleeves rolled back to his elbows as he rubbed his forehead, trying to keep a headache at bay.

He looked at the young blonde man, the one remaining eye narrowed, "You look a lot like your sister." he said, before waving away Robert's stuttering protest, "I don't mean anything by it, she's a very pretty woman, and I've seen her more than a few times in this palace." he took a drag before continuing, "Didn't know she had a bastard brother, though."

Robert's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but he remained upright, refusing to be cowed by the man's presence. Zero turned around, looking at Gottwald, "I've just had a man tortured in front of him, give the kid a break." he said, to Robert's shock.

Jeremiah nodded, appearing incredibly amused for some reason as he looked at Zero. Stubbing out the cigar before folding his hands in front of him, he leaned against the arms of the chair, "Tell me, Robert, how did Schneizel El Britannia die? What happened before our Lord Protector arrived down to our securely defended prison?"

Taking a deep breath, the blonde man explained about the usual guard shifts, occasional trading between the men to get more free time, or switch up duties to pair up with well known friends instead of strangers. He completed the explanation with what happened since Zero arrived, and continued with defending Stevens, "He's not a bad man, my Lord. In fact, he just doesn't have the heart for it, and everyone in those barracks will confirm it."

Jeremiah sighed, nodding, "Zero has already told me as much, I'm leaving this entire mess to him." standing up, he rolled his sleeves down and grabbed the suit jacket from the back of the chair, talking while putting it on, "If you'll excuse me, I have a country to address. It was good to meet you, Mr. Ashford." and quietly walked out, yelling for his assistant before the door closed behind him.

The masked figure that had stayed silent during the entire exchange leaned away from the wall, replacing Minister Gotwald in his seat. Leaning forward, it stared into the fire, the reflection of the orange flames licking across his mask, "You are posing me a problem, Mr. Ashford." it said at length, making him blink, "What do you mean, my Lord?"

"While this murder has proven to us that we might have a massive security issue, that would have happened regardless of who the prisoner was. However, with him being the Princess's brother and a former Prime Minister, much less the man who stood against The Demon Emperor's rise to power…", he trailed off pointedly.

Robert stayed silent, not daring to speak a word, knowing that his very future would likely be decided in this room. Sweat started pouring his back as he contemplated what Zero might do to him. Would they imprison, or even execute him? No, surely not. Even Stevens will probably be getting off easy, from what he had heard so far. Would he simply get a dishonourable discharge and be sent on his way home?

He grit his teeth, refusing to even contemplate the last possibility. The Military was his life. He could, and probably would get a job in any field he desired, thanks to his money and rarely touched family connection, but Robert was an honest to lord patriot, something rarely seen in this grim, dark future. He loved Britannia, and it, in turn was supposed to love him back - it would be a disaster to his self confidence if they kicked him out.

"Therefore, you leave me no choice but to give you a promotion.", Zero finished, standing up.

"My Lord, I beg you… what?", Robert said loudly, his voice quieting to a whisper as his brain finally caught up to his ears, certain he had misheard the man.

"A promotion to the Royal Guard, I think." Zero mused, nodding, "It's nearly unheard of, but your sister is a good friend of the Empress, and I doubt she'd appreciate it if we imprisoned you somewhere in the bowels of the earth, never to be seen again." he paused, misunderstanding the young man, "Unless you'd prefer an honourable discharge? Perhaps you'd like to go back to your family? I'm sure they would arrange something for you."

Robert's mind furiously worked to untangle the possible motive for this unexpected development. His family's name was surely influential, even more so with the daughter of Marianne 'The Flash' as the ruler of the world's largest Empire, but there was something else at work here. Could his half-sister - and he realized he didn't even know her name - really be so close to the Empress? Close enough for him to gain this sort of preferential treatment?

Coming to a decision, he kneeled before Zero who looked at him impassionately, an eyebrow no doubt raised at his behavior. Uncaring, Robert spoke, "I am deeply thankful for the opportunity, Lord Protector, and I accept it gratefully. However, might I ask you for something else as well?"

A pause stretched between them, the cracking and murmuring of the burning logs filling the air, "My generosity has its limits, Mr. Ashford. But ask away."

"It's Archibald, sir, the man you've met in the barracks. He's a good man, and becoming part of the Royal Guard has been his dream ever since he was a boy. I most sincerely apologize for my impertinence, but could I persuade you to grant him this boon as well?", he said, tongue twisting around half-remembered words he had learned during his childhood from expensive tutors, unfamiliar with their use, but familiar enough with their meaning to know that they might grant him an advantage in this battle.

Zero's hum came out as a sliver of robotic static, "I remember him. I suppose… I could arrange that, he seemed capable enough."

Robert's heart soared with victory, "Thank you, my Lord, I-"

"Do not disappoint me, Mr. Ashford." Zero interrupted him, "I'll be watching you carefully."

He paused, cocking his head to the side and listening to a steady stream of reports from the soldiers that were sweeping through the palace, still searching for the intruder, "Go back to your station. I'll expect both of you here in the Minister's office tomorrow morning, he'll inform you on what happens next. Dismissed." he waved him away, leaning back into the armchair.

Robert quietly left the office, still slightly shaking from the new range of emotions coursing through him. Royal Guard! That meant a very large boost in his salary, a number of privileges normal soldiers could only dream of, and, most importantly, access to some of the most beautiful women in all of Britannia. He couldn't resist doing a small fistpump, before clearing his throat and continuing down the hallway past a very amused staff member that shook his head before making his way to the intelligence gathering offices that were in full hustle and bustle. The Britannian machine never rested.

0o0o0o0o0o0

**At the same time **

**\- Narita, Japan - **

**(Japanese Standard Time)**

0o0o0o0o0o0

C.C. was enjoying her afternoon nap after a cheese-filled lunch when a hiss of anger and a shattering sound pierced the calm of the room like a gunshot, making her jump in bed. Her immortal heart thundered inside her chest, the milky flesh heaving up and down as she regained her orientation. Turning around, her golden eyes wide, she saw Lelouch's face disfigured with absolute rage as he stared at the small television set in their room.

Jeremiah's slightly distorted face appeared calm, yet he was undoubtedly worried as he continued "The Royal Guard has assured me that no foul play took place after conducting their investigation, and that Lord El Britannia was suffering from an illness of the mind ever since he was released from the Demon Emperor's dungeons. The Empress is, of course, in shock due to her brother's death."

C.C. stood up, half heartedly dragging her toy behind her with one hand as she stood next to Lelouch's seated form, laying a hand on his trembling shoulder while the television droned on, "In the meantime, I invite all of the citizens of the Empire to join our Empress in mourning for her loss. All Hail Britannia!"

The picture was replaced by a worried male news announcer, who cleared his throat, shuffling a stack of papers, "That was the Minister of War, Jeremiah Gottwald. As you've heard, it appears that the former Prime Minister Schneizel El Britannia had passed away shortly after midnight by his own hand. We'll bring you more information as they-"

She tuned out the rest of the sentence, focusing on the state of the room. It was clear Lelouch was working on something before the announcement was made, as evidenced by the broken glass table and smashed plate at her feet. Gingerly stepping around, she sat down on the floor next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder, nudging him, "First the camera, now this. We're never going to get a break, are we?"

His hands rapidly clenching and unclenching, Lelouch slowly stood, walking over to the window and gripping the edges of the wooden frame, his ragged voice slitting through the room "It wasn't a suicide." C.C. looked up from the news announcer sharply, her long green locks whipping behind her, "Surely you're not implying Nunnally would-"

"Jeremiah had clear instructions. That bastard was locked up tight, there was no way he would allow anything to slip through. This means there was a third party at work here. The only question is how they found out where he was, and how they got in." he finished, his cold mind brutally dissecting the issue at hand, looking for the solution, "I'll need to clear this situation up." he said, taking a deep breath, "I have a phone call to make."

He rummaged around his pockets, pulling out his sole means of contact with Jeremiah and calling the last dialled number. It rang for a good thirty seconds before Jeremiah answered, his voice hurried, yet heavy with fatigue, "This is going to be too complicated to use the code, My Lord. The line is still secure as anything can be, but I'll have to dispose of the phone after this call as a safety precaution."

Lelouch nodded, looking outside at the warm afternoon light and reminding himself it was just past midnight in Pendragon "What happened, Orange?" he growled, "What do you know?"

Jeremiah paused, taking a deep breath "It was the Geass order." he said, freezing Lelouch where he stood before he started shaking like a leaf in the wind, "They carved the symbol of Geass on his chest. We've reviewed all of the footage so far, and no one had even touched the door to that cell since he was brought in. One hour he's alive, the next, he's dead."

"I… see." Lelouch responded, forcibly calming himself down and waving away C.C.'s silent questioning look as she sat next to him on the bed, clearly worried, "It's fair to assume they also know I'm alive, then."

"...In all likelihood, yes. What would you have me do?" Jeremiah answered, rubbing his eyes.

"They might leak the information regardless of what we do. I need to get to the potential source of our troubles, and fast." Lelouch mused, brain working tirelessly as he came to a solution, "I'll meet with Kaguya."

"My Lord!" Jeremiah shouted, "You can't possibly-" Lelouch interrupted him with a growl, "She knows me! If I explain things, she'll cooperate. I assume I have your full backing on this?" Jeremiah dearly wanted to keep arguing, but knew his Lord would go ahead whether he approved or not so he settled for agreeing, teeth gritted, "Yes, my Lord."

"Good. I want you to send Kallen over here, I'll need her help if Kaguya doesn't respond kindly. We'll meet her at Narita Mountain tonight. Just her, no one else." he paused for a second, deliberating something, "On second thought, send the Commander of the Royal Guard with a small escort, too. They're to be on standby if I need them for anything, since things might get ugly."

"You mean Edward? The Praetorian Commander?" Jeremiah asked with a raised eyebrow, "Are you sure he's… _loyal _enough? I don't doubt your judgement, but…"

Lelouch scoffed, "Rest assured I have full confidence in him, and the men he's chosen. Make up something about a mission in one of the areas for the report, he'll take care of the rest." the young man paused, tone turning gentle "You've done a good job, Jeremiah. My mother would be proud of you."

Jeremiah gave a deep sigh before smiling, "Thank you, my Lord. I'll order Kallen to start heading towards Japan, and tell her to expect a call. I have to head up to your sister's chambers now, we're not taking any risks." he cleared his throat, "Stay safe."

Lelouch nodded, gently patting C.C.'s head as she looked at him with angry eyes, obviously unhappy to be so excluded from the conversation, "I will. All hail Britannia."

0o0o0o0o0o0

"I'm afraid I simply cannot agree with that." said Kaguya, frowning.

"Unfortunately, I think they're already well aware of it." responded Milly Ashford, the Chairwoman's assistant, fiddling with her datapad as she set down another stack of papers.

The Chairwoman of the United Federation of Nations leaned back, pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out a frustrated sigh. Being the de-facto leader of the second largest bloc of countries on the planet was immensely tiring, to say the least.

Keeping all of the forty seven member states happy was, naturally, impossible. As much as she tried to keep everything running like a well oiled machine, it was by no means perpetuum mobile. Natural friction between different countries was to be expected, and so the amount of work that needed to be done every day only kept increasing.

"Please inform them _kindly_, once again, that we cannot take their former or current military power into consideration for voting percentages. As they should be well aware, it is the population of the country that determines it, and not the size of their guns."

"Yes, yes, I'll pass them your message as usual." Milly said absentmindedly, scrolling through a document "It always seems to be the former EU countries, doesn't it? You'd think they would be pleased to have a unified military that could rival Britannia's in numbers alone."

"It's simple politics, Milly." Kaguya waved her off, standing up to stretch her legs around the room, lifting a cup of caffeine with her "Not all of them have joined us yet, and while we do try to smooth the transition as much as possible, some of them will never be pleased."

The office of the currently elected Chairwoman was surprisingly simple, if spacious. Well lit by the hanging chandeliers, a large mahogany desk faced the door on the other side of the room. For her own relaxation, a small water pool made out of marble, with a shishi-odoshi in the middle burbled away, making an occasional click and a clack that helped her concentrate. Flags of member countries hung on the walls, with the flag of the UFN itself proudly resting on a pole besides the desk.

"Quite. I have to say, when you asked me to take this job, I was more than a little surprised." Milly smiled, cocking her head "If I'd have known the amount of paperwork I would have to go through every day; why, I probably would have ran away screaming."

Kaguya's laugh filled the room as she rested on the marble bench built in the side of the pool's outer edge, stopping to dip her long fingers in the sparkling water and sip at her beverage "Whatever would I do, then? I shudder at the thought of handling it all alone." she queried, watching the bamboo stick fall down again.

Clack.

They were in the still rebuilding Tokyo Settlement, the current Headquarters of the United Federation of Nations. After the F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead obliterated most of it from existence, along with over thirty five million souls, the people of the Settlement were devastated. Now, so long after the war has ended, full reconstruction - helped by the enormous economy of the UFN and Britannian subsidies - was in progress.

She shook her head. Say what you want about the natives and how they lived during the Area system, but the same relentless spirit remained, proudly shown with the immense speed of the rebuilding efforts. There was next to no discrimination between the Britannians and former numbers, both sides seemingly too tired of war to continue their feud, focusing on building the new country together.

"Let's talk about something nicer. Any progress in your _personal _life?" Kaguya asked, smiling.

Milly sighed, fiddling with one of her blonde locks "My parents have thankfully given up on trying to find me a suitor." she smiled, "I'm afraid there has been no progress aside from that, though I haven't had much free time. Too much work." she finished, waving a hand.

"I'm sorry to hear that! We'll have to see about giving you a bit more of that, hmm?" Kaguya replied, genuinely happy for the blonde girl. Good news were few and far between these days, she mused, looking at the swirling waters. Her thoughts had drifted, as they always did, back to a certain man she had pledged her loyalty and love to as soon as topic strayed from business.

"Ms. Chairwoman?" Milly interrupted her thoughts, holding out her personal phone "A call for you. He says he's a friend, and that it's quite urgent."

"And he called your phone and not mine?" Kaguya blinked in surprise, "I suppose I'll take it, thank you." she replied, curiosity evident in her gaze as she brought it to her ear. Only a few close friends would call her at work, and they would always call her personal phone, and not Milly's.

"Hello?"

"I seek audience with one of the three brides of the Emperor." a cold voice whispered.

The cup of coffee violently smashed against the floor, spilling hot liquid all over her feet. Barely acknowledging the boiling, discarded drink, she stared straight ahead in bone chilling shock, her hands trembling so hard the phone was barely kept steady.

"Y-you-"

"Not over the phone." it hissed, cutting her off "_Tomorrow_, at dawn's light, I will meet you at the memorial that lies upon the ancient fortress of Liberation. Alone."

The line clicked shut, making her blink in surprise. Ignoring Milly's concerned, questioning look, she slowly put the phone down beside her, before burying her expression in her hands, trembling. Unable to simply watch, Milly sat down next to her in shock, gently rubbing her back "What happened?" she whispered, clearly deeply concerned for the girl.

Kaguya looked up, sniffling "It's… it's nothing. A death in the family, I-I was just shocked, that's all." she wiped her eyes angrily, clearing her throat and looking up. "There's still work to be done, I can't let it affect me."

"Are you sure?" her assistant replied, clearly doubting her "No one will mind if you go home for today! That's just awful!"

"I'll be fine, I have to set an example, after all." the younger girl said, standing up and apparently only then noticing the spreading brown stain on her long skirt "Though, could you bring me a change of clothes if it's not a problem?"

"Of course." replied the blonde, quickly standing up and going to the exit after giving her another concerned look.

"Oh, and Milly?" Kaguya interrupted her before she could open the door "Could you tell the driver to get the car ready for tomorrow morning? I have a trip to Narita mountains to make, it's a tad bit urgent."

"Narita?" Milly asked, blinking "Of course, I'll do it as soon as I come back."

The door quietly closed behind her, cutting out the noise from the hallway outside and leaving her in total silence. The girl hugged herself, violently trembling in the suddenly cold, far too empty room.

Clack.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"That went better than expected." Lelouch grumbled as he flipped his phone closed, rubbing his forehead where a headache was brewing. "Really?" C.C. replied, repeatedly pulling Cheese-kun up and down over the bed in boredom, "Are you done with your very important calls for now?"

"For now, yes." he replied, rubbing his chin in thought, "I'm worried about Nunnally, though. Losing that _bastard_ of a half-brother probably didn't make her happy. She doesn't have as much resentment for him as I do."

"Do you think they might…" she trailed off, abandoning the toy looking up at him with worry.

He grunted, roughly messing up her hair with a smile and making her yelp, slapping his hand away, "Jeremiah will keep her safe. Don't forget-" he pointed to his eye, "With that, he is the most qualified man in the world to protect her. I trust him."

Looking up at him suspiciously from below as she straightened her hair, she accepted his proffered hand and pulled herself up towards him into a hug, "If you say so, _nii-san_." she hissed after a few seconds, breaking the otherwise touching moment and making him chuckle.

"We'll get going shortly after nightfall, the money I gave that woman should be more than enough to cover the cost of that table," he told her after checking his watch, "Why don't you try and get some sleep? I'll keep watch."

She hummed in agreement, already busy making herself a nice, warm cocoon to settle into while they waited. Standing up, he went over to the window and took a look outside in the relatively warm Japanese afternoon and smiling at the sound of light snoring behind him before his expression turned serious again as he watched the slowly moving trees, contemplating their future.

0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it or have any comments or criticisms.


	5. Chapter 5

0o0o0o0o0o0

**\- Narita Settlement, Japan, 21:15 - **

**(Standard Japan Time)**

0o0o0o0o0o0

"We have to get a move on. Are you ready?" Lelouch knocked on the bathroom door, receiving a muffled, "Just a minute!" in return that made him groan. Shaking his head at her antics, he shoved the remainder of her discarded clothes into her bag before standing up.

Several minutes later found the former Emperor buttoning up his coat in front of the mirror while she put her dark leather boots on. Standing up, she tapped her foot against the bottom of the bed twice to make sure it fit. Turning around, she looked at Lelouch who had just put his cap on and was zipping the small bag closed,

"You really should have gotten some sleep, you know." she murmured, "We won't have a lot of free time tonight."

"Hmm?" he responded, putting the strap of the other heavy bag around his shoulders and groaning at the weight, "Can't, too many nightmares." he elaborated, his now green eyes looking at her and making her smile sadly, "By the way, Lelouch." she asked, walking up to him and tugging his sleeve, "I haven't had dinner yet. Could we..." she trailed off, looking up at him shyly

He looked at her for a long few moments, expression stone cold as he tried to process what he had just heard, "No, I am not doing this again." he decided loudly, looking up at the ceiling as if his words might reach a deity with more reason than the immortal witch, "We are leaving, and we are _not _getting any food."

Ignoring her huff, he cracked the door open carefully, looking left and right down the dark hallway before motioning for her to follow him. Closing the door behind her, they both made their way down the stairs to the dimly lit lobby, where the sound of a Chinese drama series greeted him. The hotel owner was clearly planning on staying awake through the night.

Clearing his throat, Lelouch stepped up to the counter, holding the card between two fingers as he gestured at the woman, "We'll be checking out now." he carried on, receiving a quick nod in return from the woman as she quickly stood up and walked to the counter.

"Of course, sir. Please feel free to visit us again if you're in the area." the owner replied, taking the card and bowing slightly. With a nod, he turned around and held the front door open for his companion who glanced at him before walking through, head held high as if she was exiting an upper class hotel in Pendragon, and not a run down love shack in former Area 11.

"One more thing." he called out after appreciating his companion's generously proportioned bottom, though he would no doubt die before admitting it to her, "Would you happen to know if the cable cars are still running?"

"Up to the monument, you mean?", she asked, blinking in confusion "I believe they don't until six or so in the morning, if you're not in a hurry, you can stay-"

"No, no, thank you very much. Have a good night." the young man replied with a grateful smile, closing the door behind him with a slam, leaving behind a quiet hotel lobby whose best business hours were just starting.

0o0o0o0o0o0

**\- Narita Mountain, Japan, 22:10 - **

**(Standard Japan Time)**

0o0o0o0o0o0

"But it's _cold _down _here_!" C.C. hissed at Lelouch as she tentatively stepped inside, "It's going to be absolutely _freezing _up there!"

Ignoring her complaints, Lelouch gave her a small push before relaying his instructions to the dazed looking railcar attendant, "After it reaches the top, you can turn them off again. You will wipe any footage recorded since we arrived, and then go back to your home."

The slightly pudgy older man saluted, the effects of the Geass clearly visible on his iris as it flashed angrily at Lelouch, "Yes, my Lord!" and marched away back to the control station, ignoring the undoubtedly freezing cold through the dark pyjamas he wore.

Lelouch entered into the warm interior of the railcar, rubbing his gloved hands together as the door closed behind him. He made his way down to the back of the car where C.C. was making herself comfortable and hurriedly unbuttoned his coat, laying it across her shoulders and getting a small smile from his companion. Immortal or not, she was still more than capable of getting goosebumps.

Swaying to keep his balance as the car jerked forward, he sat down onto the seat next to her, "Better now?" he asked, dropping sideways and planting his head into her lap. They started moving upwards, slowly rising through the cold darkness. Dawn was still a long time away, but the nature of their meeting required them to get there early, just in case the girl planned any _surprises_.

Her golden eyes peered at him from above before she leaned back, petting his hair fondly, "I already told you to get some sleep back there, you know."

"Too risky if we're both asleep," he yawned, "we're going to have to take stricter precautions from now on. They might know I'm alive, but they can't do much with it without proof, and we're not going to give them any."

"And why's that?"

"Suzaku and Jeremiah have a strong hold on all the news stations in the Empire. With a snap of my fingers, all they'll be watching are reality shows and weather reports. Even if they leak it on the _internet_, I doubt it would get any traction, and we're going to get straight to the source of any of our potential problems tomorrow morning. However..."

He raised a hand, taking a few strands of her long, green locks and rubbing them between his fingers, "You know I have nothing against your hair, but…" he trailed off, pointedly looking aside as she glanced at him in shock.

"No!"

"Cera, it's _green_. We're in Area 11, you can't possibly expect to-"

"No!" she repeated, outraged.

"Oh Darwin, why?", he asked, raising a hand to cover his eyes, "You're _immortal_! You can just grow it back, woman!"

"Lelouch Vi Britannia, you are the worst kind of man I have ever met.", she replied, her words chilling the previously warm interior into something truly awful, "You are a disgrace to your bloodline, your family and your country!"

He looked up at her, eyebrows scrunching in confusion, "Aren't I already a disgrace to all of those?"

She glared down at him, gritting her teeth, "I… might cut it. But the green stays." she spat out.

"Cera-" he began.

"It stays!" she yelled, the air around her making it clear she would give no more ground.

They settled down for a while, content to enjoy the silence as the railcar steadfastly hummed towards its destination high up the mountain. Lelouch took the time to take her advice to heart and get some sleep with a quick nap to clear his head for tomorrow morning. She pet his head absentmindedly as she watched the dark treetops swaying in the wind far below them, the light of the full moon just barely illuminating the swinging branches.

The railcar came to a sudden stop, with a female robotic voice announcing that they had arrived to the top in Japanese, before repeating its instructions in Britannian. The doors opened just before all the lights in the interior suddenly winked out, giving her a startle before Lelouch quietly reminded her of his instructions to the attendant. The steady hum of power running underfoot, fed by the high tension power cables above them stopped, leaving them in silence only interrupted by the sound of wind whistling through the empty station outside.

Gently shaking her companion off, they both groggily made their way outside. Lelouch stretched his arms, shivering in his simple white shirt, "Give me back my coat." he said, looking down at the heavy mechanical watch on his hand, "Should be here soon." he murmured.

C.C. moved over to the edge of the station. Even during the night, the view from this height was breathtaking. The rough mountainside was still dotted with craters from battles fought long ago, yet new life seemed to spring between the fallen boulders and final resting places of rockslides. Trees dotted the landscape, growing denser in numbers as they neared the bottom of the mountain and finally growing into a full blown forest that gently enveloped it from all sides. It rolled over hills and valleys, disappearing over the horizon, an endless sea of dark green that seemed to go on forever.

Looking up, she smiled. This far up and away from any large cities, there was little to no light pollution and it showed in the stars that spilled across the black sky, reflected in her golden orbs like thousands upon thousands of shining diamonds, impossibly far away.

She blinked. One of the lights seemed to separate before slowly moving closer, causing her to frown, "Lelouch!"

He joined her in leaning against the fence, narrowing his eyes, "Right on time. Looks like we might accomplish something yet." he whispered. He turned around as the dot came closer with a steadily growing hum, growing larger and revealing a pair of truly gigantic dark pink wings that shone like an accusing glare over the station, "We should get going, this way."

0o0o0o0o0o0

The night was full of sounds, ranging from the chirping of insects to hooting of owls. Small wildlife scurried underfoot and around the trees in search of a meal. They were in one of the many small forests halfway up the mountain, and the trees around them housed many a furry creature currently asleep, waiting for the warm morning rays to awaken them in their homes.

And also, a Knightmare.

It was a magnificent device, approaching five meters at full height. Aggressive angular design, coupled with the red paintjob gave it a truly menacing appearance even as it crouched in the darkness. Dark green eyes at its chest seemed to stare straight at them as they slowly approached, bags slung over their shoulders.

A shadow separated from one of the Knightmare's legs, coming to meet them halfway across the small clearing where it had landed. Its light footsteps seemed to barely bend the grass, a large enclosed cloak dragging across the ground behind it giving it a somewhat menacing appearance.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it." it greeted them in a callous, yet feminine voice, a hint of blue eyes flashing below red bangs.

"Always good to see you, Kallen." Lelouch replied, stepping over and pulling the surprised woman into a hug, his voice unusually rough with emotion, "I am… so sorry for-"

She cut him off by pushing him away lightly, lifting a hand to rub her eyes before giving a small half-chuckle, "It's fine, you already apologized." sniffling, Kallen Stadtfeld smiled at C.C., giving her a brief hug that the green haired woman reciprocated harder than necessary, eyes suspiciously bright as she greeted her former roommate and a friend, one of the few she had made over the years.

Kallen moved away, pulling her long Knight of Round cloak closer as a cold gust of wind whipped by them, making it flutter behind her like a flag, "There's still a few hours before dawn." she said, taking C.C.'s duffel bag and slinging it over her shoulder effortlessly, waving away her protest, "You can rest inside the Gurren, it's pretty cold out here." she told her, patting the cold armoured leg of the machine.

"I think Lelouch might-", C.C. began, closing her mouth as Lelouch gave her a _look_.

"It's fine, go on." he said, pointedly squeezing her shoulder, "I woke you up, it's only fair." Kallen nodded in agreement, "We'll go over the controls in the morning, Lloyd has added some quirks you'll need to get briefed on."

Understanding the not-so-subtle message, C.C. sighed and jumped into the pilot's seat, pressing a button that lowered it back into the innards of the machine with a buzz, the back cover slamming back on with a hiss of pistons a moment later and leaving the two of them alone outside.

Kallen leaned back against one of the Knightmare's legs, crossing her arms across her rather large chest, the fabric of her uniform no doubt stretched across it under the cloak "Rough night?", she asked, sapphire orbs shining with amusement.

He didn't reply, dropping the heavy bags down with a groan before leaning against the other leg, mimicking her posture. Taking out a small case from an inside pocket, he pulled out a small wrapped object, placing it in his mouth, "You want one?" he asked her, holding out the box in her direction.

Kallen's eyebrows raised in shock, "Cigars? You? How did that happen?"

"I try not to make a habit of it. These are a pretty expensive brand, I'll have you know." he said, shielding it with his hand while he sparked a flame with his lighter, "They help keep me calm, especially useful when I need to be at my best, like tomorrow." he said around the large stick before taking a deep drag, slamming the case closed and back into the pocket.

Her expression was unchanged as he exhaled, giving him a small blush high on his cheeks, "It's not as if I'm using refrain, Kallen! You can stop staring now."

She blushed, turning her laugh into a cough, "Sorry! It's just weird to see you acting like an adult, you look like you haven't aged a day since the last time I saw you."

"I didn't." he said, looking away and into the dark woods.

"What?" she blinked.

He gripped the cigar between his teeth, then slowly unbuttoned the top of his shirt, tentatively pulling the collar away to reveal his pale neck. With a mere thought, the symbol of the Geass angrily flashed into existence, making her lean away in shock, mouth open, "B-but… are you saying you're…"

"I didn't age. And I never will." he replied around the stick, buttoning his shirt back up before taking it back into his hand again and gesturing at the device he was leaning on, "I'm the same as her now." he knocked on the Knightmare with his knuckles, pointing towards his hidden companion, "And I don't regret it for a second."

"Let me see that." she said with narrowed eyes, grabbing the side of his face in an iron grip, making him give a strangely girlish yelp of indignation. Ignoring his waving arms, she roughly pulled the collar aside, revealing pale flesh before the red tattoo made an angry reappearance. The red light reflected in her blue eyes as she looked down in amazement, "Incredible…" she whispered, ignoring his muffled plea for release.

He pushed her away as she released him a few seconds later, wiping the side of his face before readjusting his shirt, blushing in embarrassment at how easily a girl a full head shorter than him had strong armed him into submission. Shoving the half-burnt cigar back into his mouth, he muttered something rather unflattering under his breath.

Kallen looked away, wringing her hands together, "I should be angry at you. I should be screaming and beating you into a pulp right now, after everything you've done to us - I still can't believe all of this is true."

He gulped, knowing fully well what she could do after witnessing her punches and kicks so many times. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he had felt them.

"But… but seeing that, and... When it happened, I…" she trailed off, sniffling again. "I realized everything, Lelouch. I knew what you did. And when Jeremiah told me what I had to do, and you called me, I…", she let out a half sob, wiping her eyes.

"You're being such a girl about this.", he teased her, deftly leaning away as a spinning kick came his way, blue eyes shining with embarrassed anger even as fresh tears fell. The fires of fury quickly ran out, and she leaned against him, losing her strength. He awkwardly placed his arms around her large cloak, pointedly looking away as she started sobbing again.

"There, there…" he awkwardly patted her back, desperately wishing C.C. was here. Anger and frustration, he could understand and deal with. Sexual harassment, he was well experienced in warding off, but crying girls were never something he could deal with, especially not when they were able to manhandle him around with such ease.

The sobbing eventually stopped, replaced by a few sniffles every now and then as the redhead calmed down. She leaned away and rubbed her eyes, trying to hide her red face, "Sorry, it's just…"

"I'd offer you a handkerchief," he interrupted her, desperately wiping his coat clean with the said object, "but you've made a real mess here."

"You are such an idiot! You pig!" The Knight of Three screamed at him, "Can't you read the atmosphere?!"

C.C. shut off the outside cameras, stifling a giggle. Turning around, she made herself comfortable in the pilot's chair and closed her eyes, hoping to get some sleep before sunrise.

0o0o0o0o0o0

**\- Narita Mountain, Japan, 06:20 AM - **

**(Standard Japan Time)**

0o0o0o0o0o0

Kaguya tentatively stepped out of the car and onto the stone path, waving away the chauffeur when he made to follow her, "It won't be necessary, thank you."

"Ms. Chairwoman, with all due respect, I realize you wish to be alone, but coming out here without as much as a Knightmare escort is-", the man started, bowing.

"I'll be fine. I merely wish to pay my respects to the victims.", she smiled at him, taking a bouquet of flowers from the back seat and closing the door behind her, "Please wait here until I'm done. If you follow me, I will be most displeased."

Without waiting for an answer, the short girl made her way down the white stone path, grateful for her heavy coat as a gust of wind blew by, rattling the trees around her. Birds had started their morning song as the sun came up, and the small forest leading from the road that wound up the mountain to the monument itself was filled with their chirping cries. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and enjoying the crisp mountain air. So much different from the air in the Chinese capital, or Tokyo, where the UFN Headquarters were.

Rounding a bend in the path around the trees, she came upon a wide open field at the edge of a cliff. The monument rested on the far side of the the plateau, the large angular sculpture still standing resolute years after it was built.

The girl placed the flowers amongst the many other bouquets at the foot of the short stairs leading to the platform of the monument itself. Stepping back, she bowed her head and clapped, her eyes closed for a few seconds of silence in remembrance of the victims of the battle of Narita.

"Not a very pretty thing, is it?", a voice sounded from behind, soft footsteps coming towards her. She whipped around, heart thundering in shock as all of her hidden fears from the sleepless night before leapt back at her, blinking in surprise when she saw the approaching figure.

Kallen looked over Kaguya's head as she approached, seemingly more interested in the statue itself than the girl standing in front of it. The former ace of the Black Knights had changed since the last time she saw her. While she looked much the same, the massive cloak signifying her status as a Knight of Round made a rather striking difference. It granted her a rather imposing appearance, making her shoulders appear taller and wider, while dragging across the ground below her, softly scratching at the surface as she approached.

Following the other girl's example, Kallen bowed her head, clapping her hands together for a few seconds of silence, before turning around with a smile, "Good to see you again."

"Kallen? I... wasn't expecting to see you here.", Kaguya confessed, looking around as if she was searching for someone.

"No. You weren't.", smiled the redhead, blue eyes shining with mirth below her red locks, "I trust you have nothing I should know about on you? Because if you do, we're going to have a problem."

"W-what do you mean?", replied the girl, backing away cautiously, her suspicions about this seemingly random meeting growing. She looked back, judging how far she could get if she needed to make a run for it.

"Please.", Kallen said, raising a hand to calm her suspicions, "You have nothing to be afraid of, but I will need to check you before we get to why you're here."

Taking out a black, flat device, about the size of her hand, she approached, eyes asking for permission. Upon receiving a nod, she quickly passed it over the other girl's body, nodding in satisfaction after a few seconds as it failed to produce any results, "It's safe!", she yelled, startling the other girl, before respectfully backing away to give her some space.

Kaguya looked around in confusion, her throat going dry as a figure separated from the shadows underneath the side of the monument and made its way toward them. Tall, yet thin with elongated limbs, it was wrapped in a dark coat, a cap resting low across its forehead, revealing a pair of shiny green eyes that froze her in place as all of her fears were confirmed, rooting her in place with the icy grip of panic snaking its way up her spine.

It stopped in front of her, those same eyes slowly looking her up and down before pausing, studying her expression. A few seconds of silence stretched between them, and just when Kaguya was about to bolt away with a scream, Lelouch spoke, "You're shorter than I remember."

Her fear turned into confusion, before skidding to a halt and making another turn straight into righteous anger. With a scream, seemingly drawing strength from a hidden furry creature in her heart that was her likely spirit animal, she launched herself onto the taller man, fists swinging. Her first punch got him straight in the left cheek and knocked his cap off, the second one hit his gut, making him lean forward in an oomph, setting himself up for a perfect uppercut to the chin.

Or it would have, if Kallen hadn't sprung forward and caught the smaller girl under her arms, torn between a need to laugh and protect her Lord. Kaguya kept swinging at Lelouch as he backed away, out of breath after her solid punch, screaming obscenities as she did and waving arms and legs both, "Demon! Traitor! Murderer! How dare you?!" her screaming shattered the previously quiet morning air, startling a flock of birds from the nearest tree.

Lelouch staggered back into an upright positions, drawing in a deep breath. His eyes flashed towards Kallen who had a suspiciously blank, neutral expression. Narrowing his eyes, he noticed how the sides of her lips kept twitching, holding back her amusement at his stupidity. With a sigh, he raised both hands in an attempt to calm down the most powerful girl in the UFN, "I apologize, that was uncalled for."

She stopped swinging, but still glared murder at him with her round green eyes as Kallen carefully put her down, backing away. Lelouch grimaced, "I would like to start over again. I believe an explanation is in order." he quickly continued as she opened her mouth to prevent any further insults to his honour, "Why don't we take a seat and I can try to explain everything?" he asked, gesturing at the stone stairs behind him.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"...Incredible." the girl whispered, leaning forward. Lelouch's coat was draped over her like a blanket, yet he stoically withstood the cold, trying to keep himself in the sunlight as much as he could while he talked, "Yet it's all true. And it worked, didn't it? I hear my little sister is doing a fantastic job so far.", he said, a genuine smile appearing as he talked about the sibling he loved so much.

Kaguya nodded, conceding his point. She looked like nothing more than an adorable little caterpillar in the far too heavy coat that came up to her mouth as she shifted around, gazing up at the startlingly clear blue sky. Lelouch had spent the last hour talking until his throat went sore, and to her credit, she had been a good listener, oohing and aahing at all the right places, eyes shining with wonder as she nodded along when he explained a part she had been wondering about.

"But why reveal yourself to me like this, Lelouch? With everything you just told me, the fate of the world itself is placed at risk with every breath you draw.", she asked him, cocking her head to the side.

He leaned back onto the stairs, the surface mercifully warm from being baked in the sun for so long, "You remember what I told you about the Geass order?"

"Didn't you… kill all of them? That was the entire point of your operation with this… V.V. character, wasn't it?"

"Not all of them." Lelouch said, lips tightening in displeasure. After a short pause, he confessed, "A few days ago, I did something rather stupid.", he quickly explained the reason for his call. Kaguya paled, bringing a hand over her mouth, "I-I can understand it with Schneizel's murder, but… you, you… utter buffoon! Why not colour your hair differently?! Or at least cut it?! Did you think no one would notice the most hated person in the entire world?" she yelled, making him cringe.

"Black hair is hardly uncommon in Area 11 of all places!" he argued back, "And I always wear coloured contacts, I just… forgot about it that day. We were both tired, too tired." he sighed, looking up at her and pointing to his now green irises, "I won't make the same mistake again."

"But you did! Why call Milly's phone instead of mine?" she yelled, making him wince, "I would have tried, but there's too much at stake. It's far more likely they've tapped your phone than hers." he finished.

"And that's the reason I invited you here. I… need your help." he ground out through gritted teeth, just barely managing to keep his ego in check, "You are the second most powerful woman in the world after my sister, and both of us will need your help in locating and destroying this menace." he slammed a fist down onto the stone surface of the stairs with a hiss, "No more Geass. I will not allow it. This burden is _mine _to bear, and _mine _only. Will you help us?

Kaguya leaned back, considering his plea. Her mind was clearly still shaken as it tried to cope with everything the former Emperor had told her. He looked at her anxiously, swallowing a lump in his throat as the thought of what he would have to do if she declined crossed his mind. It wouldn't be the first time he had to use a Geass on a girl that tried to make the world a better place. He gritted his teeth as memories of Euphemia came to bear, bringing a hand to massage his forehead, sighing as a wave of tiredness hit him. He had gambled everything on this one shot, and if it failed…

She suddenly looked up, the emerald green eyes hard as if she was trying to bore a hole in his soul with a gaze that lasted several seconds. Just as he opened his mouth, she spoke first, "I will do whatever you need me to."

He positively sagged with relief, barely supporting himself against the stone staircase as she kept talking, "But I have a few requests.", she said, waving off his angry expression, "First, while I am all for permanent peace between our nations, you _will _get your damn sister to cut the production of the eighth generation Knightmares in half! I don't care how you do it, but the EU block is breathing down my throat, and I won't have it!"

"Secondly!" she yelled, lifting a finger and making him sigh, "I want a larger percentage of your gross domestic product to be contributed to the rebuilding of Japan. The UFN is contributing thrice what you are, and the size of our economy is still barely two thirds of yours! It's a disgrace!"

"And thirdly." she began, a wicked smirk coming over her features, "I want a hug from Zero."

Kallen, who had been standing guard a few meters away to give them a semblance of privacy burst into laughter, quickly covering her mouth with a hand to stifle it into a cough, before looking over and laughing even harder at the expression on his face as the tiny girl glared at him, a hint of mirth shining in the corner of her eye.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"You'll be hearing from me soon.", Kaguya said as they walked back towards her vehicle, pausing before the bend in the path that would bring them in view of the car and her chauffeur, "It's a shame I couldn't see your companion - I was looking forward to having all three of Zero's wives coming together."

Lelouch gently tapped Kallen's head to forestall any chuckling, "We needed insurance in case things turned violent. I'll send her your rega-", he paused, flinching forward with his eyes widening in shock. Looking down, he frowned at the rapidly spreading stain on his dark coat. How odd, he thought, it's not that hot out, surely he couldn't be sweating already?

Kallen froze as Lelouch fell to his knees, opening his mouth repeatedly as if trying to say something. He tried to croak out something to Kaguya before his eyes rolled upwards and he collapsed onto the path with a small oomph, letting out a rattling breath before staying completely still.

The redhead took one look at the long blade buried in his back before grabbing her cloak and throwing it behind her with a whirl, simultaneously tackling Kaguya to the ground. Several more blades tore through the dark cloak as it fluttered to the ground, missing their intended mark by a wide margin.

"Run! Run!", Kallen screamed at the girl before pushing her towards the car and raising the sidearm from its place on her belt, scrambling behind a tree and aiming into the woods, her breath steady. The forest remained silent as Kaguya sprinted towards the car, yelling at her minion to drive before leaping inside and slamming the door shut. With a squeal of tires, it took off down the path, kicking up a dust cloud from the gravel road as it sped down the mountain road.

The redhead forced herself to remain calm as she peeked out, trying to ignore Lelouch's fallen form, reminding herself that he was most definitely not dead, and would be fit as a fiddle after a few hours of rest, no matter the internal damage.

A sudden thwack from the other side of the tree made her lean back with a quiet curse directed at her opponent. Close ranged combat was her specialty, and there wasn't much she could do if she couldn't even see her target. Still, knives? She mused, leaning out for another quick peek. Certainly, there were some fanatics, or especially trained combatants like Sayoko, but to use it for an assassination when a gun would do was… unorthodox.

A vile retching sound came from merely a dozen meters away, followed by someone spitting on the ground, "I wanted to get all of you while you were together. Now I'll have to slice up that girl later.", a voice resounded in roughly accented Britannian. It sounded vaguely eastern european, she mused, not daring to peek out while he was so close. Was the EU behind this?

"Say, I wonder if he can come back if I cut his head off and take a piss in it. You want to find out?", the voice taunted her.

With a growl, she leaned out, sidearm at the ready. A man of medium height was casually leaning against a tree a few meters away from Lelouch's fallen body, one arm playing with a throwing knife. He was dressed in full camo clothing, with military boots completing the set, and sported a hard, blank expression that matched the tone of his voice. All of this crossed through her mind in an instant as she expertly squeezed off three shots, confident in her ability to hit at this range.

Instead of falling over, the man simply leaned his entire body back and _disappeared _through the tree, making her blink in absolute shock. A pale outline of a human body could be seen on the rough bark before it slowly faded out, leaving it untouched save for the three holes she had made, still slightly smoking from the impact. A single red hot thought singed across her mind: _Geass _user!

She glimpsed movement to her left and rolled away just before a flurry of knives impacted the ground where she stood a moment ago, some embedding themselves in the tree to the hilt, vibrating slightly and smoking. Vibroblades! She realized, gritting her teeth. Unlike a regular knife, a small power pack in the hilt was attached to the blade itself and with a push of a button it could be made to vibrate at an incredibly high rate. With that kind of power, it would go through stone, wood and human flesh alike like a hot knife through butter.

Making a decision, she took a deep breath and sprung from cover like a rabbit out of its lair, sprinting through the forest away from the road. A muffled curse resounded from behind her before she jumped to the side, angrily buzzing knives whizzing by her face like hornets. Coming out of a headfirst roll, she continued sprinting, trying to put as many trees behind her as she could while she ran. Looking back for a moment, her blood ran cold as she saw a ghostly figure simply _ignoring _the solid bark as it ran straight through the trees, all the while continuing the unending barrage of blades, leaving wisps of white mist behind it, "How on earth is he carrying so many of them?!" she whispered.

Sadly, as Kallen was an inexperienced runner, she had made the beginner's mistake of looking behind oneself while running through the woods. It is well known that there will always be a conveniently placed root or a rock in just the right spot to trip up the oblivious escapee, which is exactly what happened as her leg caught on a root sticking out of the ground just ahead and she went down with a yelp, spinning head over heel and coming down at the edge of the treeline.

Kallen quickly scrambled up, but collapsed again with a hiss as her left leg simply wouldn't support her weight. She cursed her misfortune, desperately swinging her pistol left and right, trying to spot her pursuer amongst the trees, her voluptuous chest swinging as she took deep breaths, recovering from the impromptu sprint. A knife suddenly flew out, impaling her already damaged leg and making her roar in pain. It just barely missed the bone, but still tore the entire side of her ankle to shreds, blood and viscera spraying across the dew soaked grass with a disgusting wet sound.

The apparition stepped through the large oak in front of her, slowly fading away from silvery mist into a full blooded, definitely solid, angry man. Through a haze of red hot pain, she raised her pistol with a shaky arm and squeezed the trigger in his general direction, the shot going wide as he brutally kicked her hand aside, making her cry out as something cracked.

He looked down at her, expression neutral, "I wonder what kind of a scream you'll make?" he murmured, kicking her side again and making her gasp in pain, "Not a lot of time to play around, but I think I can get some fun out of you before I have to head back to rip apart that bastard."

She caught his hand just as it came down toward her chest, an angrily vibrating knife poised to pierce her form fitting pilot uniform. He grunted with effort at the unexpected strength she possessed, pushing down with all his might. Sweat dropped from both of their faces as they pushed. Just as it seemed the tip of the blade had started inching closer toward her heaving chest, a terrifyingly loud metallic voice sounded out, vibrating the very earth around them, "Step away from the girl!"

There, merely a dozen meters away stood her Gurren in all of its glory, a hand extended towards them in a threatening gesture, autocannons primed and ready to tear them both asunder with their high caliber rounds. A pair of brilliantly bright pink wings extended from the back of the machine to each side, giving it an intimidating presence that would overwhelm any normal man.

While Kallen's attention was diverted for a moment, the man was clearly a professional and took the opportunity to spin around the girl, putting a hand below her throat in a brutal chokehold while the other one held the knife in front of her eyes, ready to thrust it in, his legs folded down across her hands in his sitting position. He looked up, apparently nonplussed by the gigantic machine, "I know you can't shoot me! Those cannons would tear us both to shreds, and you'll be responsible for killing your precious Knight here!"

C.C. grit her teeth inside the Gurren's cockpit, knowing he was right. The leviathan of war wasn't made to fight human opponents, much less perform precision strikes on a tiny target. They were locked in a stalemate, and they both knew it.

"I don't have a lot of time, so I'll make his quick!", he yelled, "If you move, she dies. If you stay still, I'll let her go. You two aren't my priority! You have my word!"

Lifting his feet off of her arms, he carefully stood up, still holding the blue-faced redhead in a chokehold that she was desperately trying to get out of, her words choked before they could come out. Carefully backing away into the woods, he leaned down and obscenely licked her cheek, before quietly whispering into her ear, "I'm going to kill you now, and there's nothing you can do about it.", he paused for a single second to let the terror seep in, "Just think - if you'd have ran away back there, right now you wouldn't be pissing yourself in terror as I slit your throat."

Her muffled scream came out as a gurgle as her legs started swinging up and down wildly, heedless to the pain from her shredded ankle. C.C. noticed the change in her behavior and surged forward with an incredibly loud metallic growl from the machine, heedless to his threat.

As the Geass user growled and prepared to plunge the blade down, he felt his strength suddenly leave him. Blankly, he watched the suddenly too-heavy knife fall from his hand with a small thud. Kallen, sensing the pressure on her throat lower ever so slightly, twisted herself and jumped away with all her might, falling onto the ground in front of the still standing man and desperately crawling away, her soldierly discipline the only thing keeping her from sobbing as she took in huge gulps of air.

The man, still staring at his hand in utter shock suddenly fell forward, a huge weight on his back tipping him over as a shining blade brutally plunged down into his back again, again and again, painting the ground around them red with fresh blood. Lelouch finally stopped after a dozen strikes, leaning back while still seated on the other man's back and looked up at the sky, the now-purple eyes after discarding his contacts flashing above his red face, blood literally dripping from his hands. With a yell, he plunged the knife into the man's back yet again with both hands, leaving it buried and reveling in the delicious irony of using the man's own assassination weapon against him before standing up with a groan at his protesting back.

Kallen had sat up, massaging her throat and looking at his bloody form in shock. Wordlessly, he walked over to her and kneeled down. He cradled her face in his hands, red hands leaving a bloody trail across her cheek before hugging her, his entire body shaking. They stayed that way for a minute while C.C. jumped out of the still purring Knightmare and ran towards them, cursing. Lelouch continued wordlessly patting Kallen's back with his red hands as she sniffled into bloodstained shirt before finally calming down another minute later.

Leaning back, she cleared her throat before speaking, the voice coming out of her devastated throat a ragged shade of its former self, "Nice work there, Zero. Didn't know you had it in you."

He smiled, kissing her forehead and murmuring, "That's my girl. Can't let you do everything around here, I still have an ego." before standing up. Walking over to the man's fallen body, he roughly grabbed its short hair and pulled it up from the red puddle of blood it was floating in. The Geass user had gone completely pale, his final expression one of true surprise. A faded red Geass tattoo duly shone on his forehead before dimming out, likely to stay inactive forever.

Dropping the face back to the ground, he waved away C.C.'s offered handkerchief, "Get the medical kit from the Knightmare, her leg will need to get looked at." he ordered her, before looking back at Kallen who was heroically tolerating the pain, grinning up at him. He smiled back with bloody teeth, "Q-1, call Edward and tell him to get over here. Tell him we got one."

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it or have any comments or criticisms.


	6. Chapter 6

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**\- Pendragon, 09:00 AM BST - **

**(Britannian Standard Time)**

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The two men had made their way through the relatively quiet hallways of the Palace in record time, feeling restless after the sleepless night they'd spent in the barracks contemplating their future. Archie had listened to Robert's explanation, going pale like a ghost when he heard about the deal he had struck with Zero before scooping him up into a bone crushing hug.

The large man had spent much of his childhood in squalor, living with his father in the outskirts of Pendragon. His mother, a common woman, had passed away after collapsing from stress due to overworking when he was merely five years old, leaving the small family devastated. Archibald's father, to his credit, had done all he could to raise his son correctly despite their rather low status while toiling away as a construction worker. It was there, amongst the smaller, poor communities of immigrated foreigners in the suburbs of the large city where Archie had picked up his accent, keeping it to this day.

The Darwinist system was deeply rooted into Britannia's culture, which made receiving monetary social help practically an impossibility - leaving the young man with nothing to do but to search for a job as soon as he finished school instead of pursuing higher education. With little choice, he had decided to do what most of his young peers did - and joined the Military.

He was lucky enough to get transferred down to the rather safe Areas in South America just a few months before a large part of Pendragon was obliterated from the face of the earth in the event known as the F.L.E.I.J.A. massacre. The destruction of his home, combined with the death of his father and everyone he had known had toughened the loud, cheerful boy into a hardened, quiet man that focused on his work with grim determination. He had vowed to himself to never let any more hardworking Britannian citizens suffer like his family had, only to meet such an ignoble end.

It was only after he had met Robert, freshly transferred in from a different unit, that his hard and unpleasant façade had broken down, revealing a jovial, friendly giant with a good, solid heart - a true rarity amongst all the cynical, broken young men in the Britannian Army those days. It had taken weeks, but his hate of the Britannian ruling class was slowly chipped away every time Nunnally's cheerful face appeared on the television to proclaim yet another small part of the Darwinist system being abolished. The hate, once burning so bright, had quickly transformed into admiration, and then strong loyalty to the young girl as she continued her work.

To that end, becoming one of the Royal Guard and being able to personally guard the holy symbol of the Empire - the Empress Herself - had been his dream. He knew he wouldn't hesitate to take a bullet for her - and, of course, the money and privileges that came with the position certainly wouldn't hurt. Knowing that his friend had personally stood up to Zero to ensure he wouldn't be left behind, Archie had sworn his loyalty to him with tears in his eyes, "I'll never forget what you've done for me, laddie. I'm your man for anything you need, and don't you forget it!"

They hadn't shared the good news with the rest of their bunkmates at Robert's urging. He didn't know if Zero would appreciate the news of the clear case of favoritism going out, so they had both decided to play it safe until they received their new orders. They'd foregone their usual uniforms for this occasion, opting for the dress uniforms provided for national holidays and parades, also known for being universally hated among the men. Archie had deftly avoided the questions from the others, loudly complaining about a lost bet to anyone who would listen.

In the end, here they were in front of Minister Gottwald's office at nine in the morning, waiting for permission to enter on the very same sofa Robert had sat on last night while he was still contemplating if he would be receiving a bullet to the back of the head before the sun rose. He certainly appreciated the irony - even if no one else did.

The Minister's secretary looked like she hadn't moved from her spot since the last time he visited - and, judging from the slight dark circles under her eyes, she probably hadn't. They'd all watched the announcement last night, and the mood amongst the men was still grim from remembering their failure.

Even Archibald, normally quite the charmer with his well groomed, large red beard and shiny blue eyes was too nervous to even consider responding to the appreciative looks the woman kept sending him, hunching over and leaning his chin on his folded hands, staring into the floor.

The calm silence of the morning was broken by the sound of the opening door, making them both look up. A young bespectacled man nodded at the muffled order coming from the office, hefting the small pile of books on his arm higher before closing the door and going past them with barely a glance, clearly in a hurry.

The secretary cocked her head as she continued typing, listening to muttered instructions from the small communicator in her ear and startling them both as she cleared her throat pointedly, "He will see you now."

Robert was the first to stand up, patting his comrade on the shoulder to break him out of his meditation before opening the door to the office. The previously hidden windows were thrown wide open to let the daylight in, curtains billowing as the fresh morning air liberated the stuffy room.

In sharp contrast to the cheerful morning light, Jeremiah Gottwald looked like he hadn't slept in days. His suit jacket slung over the back of the chair behind his desk, he was nursing a cup of coffee, the one remaining eye he possessed looking tired. Looking up, he waved them in, putting the cup down after a sip when they stood in front of him and saluted, "Good morning, gentlemen. I hope you've had a chance to rest, because today will be rather busy for you."

He pulled a few papers from the top of a rather large stack, and peered at them for a moment, "Archibald Cunningham, aged twenty five and Robert… _Conway _aged twenty two." he peered up at the blonde, then pushed them across the desk, "These are the contracts you'll both be signing, regarding the non-disclosure of secrets you'll be trusted with, as well as _personal _matters you might encounter during your work." he leaned back in his chair, giving them a hard gaze, "You _will _be privy to everyday activities of some very important people, including the Empress herself. I don't think I need to elaborate on what would happen if you treated this with anything less than utmost seriousness."

They both nodded. Archibald was looking pale and anxious, but determined, Robert thought while glancing at him. Personally, he was feeling significantly calmer than last night, but still understood the weight of what he was signing as he quickly read down the document. After quickly signing the papers, Robert gave them back to the Minister who nodded with satisfaction, placing them in the much smaller 'Finished' pile on his right,

"You will be swearing your oaths in a few days. The tradition calls for Her Majesty to give her blessing to all new members after they finish the training, but since your conditions are rather… _special_, we might have to improvise." he paused, taking another sip, "You are to report to Praetorian Commander Edward down in the entrance hall, he'll-"

The door to the office opened, making all three men turn around in surprise, Jeremiah raised both of his eyebrows as there had been no word from his secretary of any new visitors - highly unusual considering the discipline he enforced in his department.

Without preamble, a teenaged girl of medium height entered into the room, her appearance making Robert's eyes widen. The impressively sized black cloak signifying her status swung around her feet as she stopped, measuring the men for a few seconds, her pink eyes focusing on each of them in turn before she turned around to address someone on the other side of the doorway, "It's fine, my Lady."

It was at that moment when they saw a sturdy looking expensive black wheelchair move in with a slight buzz that both men froze in complete shock, their hearts skipping as they realized just who had intruded on their meeting. They kneeled down as one, heads bowed deep as the most powerful woman in the world rolled into the room, prompting Jeremiah to stand up and lower his head in deference, "Your Majesty, I… wasn't expecting you so early."

A young girl's cheerful laugh broke through the silence, startling both of the kneeling men. Robert badly wanted to take a peek but managed to restrain himself, knowing that their first appearance would need to leave a lasting impression on the Empress if they wanted her to remember them. As if reading his thoughts, she spoke, "You look like death warmed over, Jeremiah. Please, you two, you may rise."

Archibald bolted upright before Robert could even move, standing at attention and looking anywhere but the seated girl, clearly extremely uncomfortable with being put in the spotlight. Robert stood up slower, standing in a slightly more relaxed manner, though his heart was still beating as he stood with his legs spread at shoulder width, hands folded behind his back. The Empress of all of Britannian Empire Nunnally Vi Britannia watched them in amusement, her large blue eyes shining with good natured humour.

Jeremiah quickly moved one of the visitor's chairs to the side, allowing her to roll next to the table and drop a small pile of papers on the desk. Nunnally turned around, patting down her rather adorable one piece blue dress before folding her hands in her lap with a smile, "Zero had left me a message saying my Royal Guard will be getting a few new additions due to 'Outstanding service to the Empire.', as he had put it, so I thought I'd get here a bit early. I'm assuming that would be you?"

She patiently waited for their response, by now well used to the effect her presence had on people. Charles had demanded iron-clad discipline from all of his staff, and brooked no disagreement. So when faced with such a cute girl like herself - and she mentally chided herself at her lack of modesty - they hardly knew how to react. It provided for some extremely amusing reactions sometimes, and by the looks on their faces, she assumed this would be one of them.

Seeing that his friend was obviously too out of it to react, Robert quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. The Lord Protector had seen fit to allow us to become a part of Your elite, so that we may serve You better. It is a great honour." he paused, looking to his left and desperately hoping Archie would get the message and say something.

"In that case, I am looking forward to seeing what you can do!" she said with a smile, "My Lord Protector is a good man, and I'm sure he wouldn't be giving you special treatment if he didn't consider you to be good men as well."

She turned to Archibald, "I make it a point to remember every single one of my precious praetorians. May I have your name, my good sir?"

Swallowing a lump in his throat, the redhead bowed his head and took a deep breath, "Archibald Cunningham, Your Majesty. It is a great honour to serve you, and I am eternally grateful to you for taking your time to see us."

"And you have my gratitude for your service, Archibald." Nunnally softly replied, making the usually confident, stoic man blush. Turning around to Robert, she opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, cocking her head, "Forgive me, but I feel like I've already met you somewhere. What is your name?"

After a momentary hesitation, he gathered the strength to talk, "Robert. Robert Conway, Your Highness."

"No, no it's not." she flatly replied, making all the eyes in the room jump to her, including the seated Jeremiah who was still nursing his coffee like a precious commodity, and Anya who leaned against the door, moving her eyes up from her handheld device for a moment before looking back down, clearly more interested in something else.

"I remember something..." Nunnally murmured, before snapping her fingers, "You're Milly's brother, aren't you? Robert Ashford?", she triumphantly exclaimed, pointing her finger at him and making Archibald look at him in absolute shock, eyes wide.

Robert nodded, mentally filing away his sister's name, "Yes, Your Majesty. Please forgive me, I wasn't sure if Lord Zero has informed you of my… _unique _situation. I meant no insult." he bowed his head, gritting his teeth as Archibald turned away uncomfortably.

"Please!" she raised her hand with a smile, "Have no fear, Milly is a very good friend of mine, and I was just so surprised when I saw you. Zero had left me a message telling me about this last night, but I only just remembered it." turning around and shuffling a few papers around, she continued, "Please, don't let me take more of your time. I'm sure you were explaining something important, Jeremiah?" she asked, eyes flying down the page.

"Yes, my Lady." he said, clearing his throat and standing up, "As I was saying, you are to report to Praetorian Commander Edward down in the entrance hall, he'll inform you of your new lodgings and duties, as well as-", Nunnally shook her head, drawing gazes from all the male occupants, "Edward isn't here, you sent him on a mission to Area 25 a few days ago, remember?" she absentmindedly informed him, scrawling her signature on the page before tapping her pen against the table, thinking about something.

"Of course, Your Majesty. It slipped my mind, it has been quite an eventful night, after all." Jeremiah sighed, rubbing his forehead, the cybernetic eye making a few whirling noises as it engaged the self cleaning routine.

She waved his concerns off, still tapping the pen "Anya? You went through the same training as Edward, didn't you? I seem to remember it being introduced as a requirement for a Knight of Round shortly after my mother massacred most of St. Darwin's street." she remarked casually, drawing several surprised gazes at her casual dismissal of the event.

The pink-haired Knight of Two closed her phone and saluted with a fist over her heart, "Yes, my Lady. Would you like me to assume his duties until he returns?"

Nunnally nodded, shooting her a grateful smile, "Jeremiah, please inform the relevant people of the change. He shouldn't be gone for long, and it won't affect the security too much. I'm sure it wouldn't take up too much of her time, either."

The Minister opened his mouth to object before closing it after the Empress sent him a _look_. Jeremiah Gottwald was not a man that would give up easily, but knew when he was outclassed and settled for sending Anya a small glare and letting her know she wasn't off the hook before sitting back down and waving her away "I'll send you the necessary information, Anya."

Anya nodded, stepping back to open the door and stood still, looking at the two uniformed men, clearly expecting them to leave ahead of her. Sharing a look, they both quickly saluted the Empress once more before shuffling out, quickly followed by the girl who closed the door behind them with a soft click.

She pulled out her device and, without preamble, leaned against the wall by the door. Ignoring both of the men she had been tasked with, she focused on her small phone again, making it clear she wasn't interested in moving.

Robert and Archibald nervously stood in the middle of the room for a few seconds, waiting for her instructions. Archie gathered his wits and opened his mouth to say something, but she raised a finger in his direction, looking at him and bringing it to her mouth in a clear shushing motion and then looked back down,.

They shared another look with each other and decided to take a seat while they waited for their guide to finish her apparently important task. Archie leaned back, letting out a deep breath before turning around to look at Robert, "Ashford, is it?"

The blonde man nodded, rubbing his bowed head in silence. He'd known this conversation was coming since the Empress had mentioned it, and wasn't quite sure how to proceed, "Look, I-", the other man interrupted him, "It doesn't matter, mate. Like I told you, I'm eternally in your debt." he paused for a moment, combing his beard with one hand before continuing, "I just wish you'd have told me earlier, I wouldn't hold it against you."

They sat in silence for a moment, both of them relieved for different reasons. Archie inched closer, throwing an arm around the other man's shoulder and whispering, "Still, she's quite the looker, isn't she?"

Robert looked at him before nodding, "The Knight? She is, but I don't see-"

His companion let out a loud, gut rumbling laugh, making the secretary glance at them with concern before going back to her assignment, "Not the _Knight_, you fool!" he whispered with another laugh, "The Empress! Have you _seen _her? Those videos don't do her justice!" he paused, peeking at the pink-haired girl, "Though it's good to know _she's _your type. You should try to get closer to her, eh? I hear they have a lot of _liberties_, those Knights."

Robert stared at him blankly for a few seconds before looking at Anya. Their gazes met for a moment, her bright pink eyes looking at him suspiciously like she knew what they were whispering about and making him quickly look away, covering his eyes with his hand and groaning, "You _utter_ fucking-"

"Dammit!" the girl hissed, making them both look up at her like a pair of students caught by their teacher whispering in the middle of class. An angry melody came from her device, followed by a high pitched "You lose!" Angrily stuffing the phone in an inside pocket, The Knight of Two patted down her cloak and trotted down the length of the anteroom, their gazes following her, before stopping in front of the door and looking back at them, "Are you coming?"

They scrambled up to follow her, Archie looking back at Robert as they exited, "Did we just sit around for five minutes waiting for her to finish a bloody _phone game_?" he hissed to his comrade as they made their way down the hallway past the large enclosed windows letting in the warm sunlight.

Robert growled, throwing him the evil eye, "I don't know, why don't you ask your _adorable _Princess?" and quickened his stride to catch up to the small girl ahead. Archibald shook his head sadly, feeling significantly more relieved now that they had gotten the dreaded meeting over with, "Poor lad can't even get her title right. This is why he never managed to keep a girlfriend."

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**\- Narita Mountain, Japan - **

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Kallen hissed in pain, making Lelouch look up from where he was changing the dressing on her leg, "Stop being such a girl! It's just a flesh wound." he grunted with effort as he pulled the bandage tighter around her ankle, producing another quiet, pathetic squeal from the redhead, "C.C., are we completely out of medi gel?"

"You've used the last tube." she replied over the radio, warily scanning the area from her place inside of the Gurren, still on a lookout for more potential attackers, "If you want her to get looked at, you'll need to get her to a Military base or a private facility. Note that I'm assuming public hospitals are not an option with her uniform, but if you think it's serious enough…" she trailed off.

"I'll be fine!" Kallen shouted from her lying position on one of the many wooden benches that decorated the woods, Lelouch's coat folded in an impromptu pillow below her head, "I don't think it hit the bone, and the gel should take care of the rest."

Lelouch nodded, leaning back against the bench with a sigh, "The wonders of Britannian medicine. That reminds me, I wonder if Nunnally has had her legs looked at yet? It would be wonderful if she could finally… walk again." he finished, voice choking midway through the sentence. Having to relay a message to his sister through Kallen and Jeremiah last night had hurt him immensely, but he had insisted on it himself, knowing that they couldn't afford to take any chances. It didn't make it any easier, though.

Cleaning his throat, thankful that both of his companions have ignored his little breakdown, he looked at Kallen, "Do you remember what I told you?"

"Lie down, don't move, and let the medicine do its work." she muttered for the fifth time, before blushing with anger, "Honestly, I'm fine, Lelouch! It wasn't that bad." she yelled, waving her left arm angrily. He took one glance at the wildly swaying curves of her breasts and the way they _moved _around as she shifted her arm, before standing up and using the large cloak to cover her and save at least some of her modesty, "Does that pilot suit really improve your performance in any way?" he muttered, pointedly looking away.

"What do you mea- oh." she looked down at her lying body for the first time, and noticed just how stretched the skin tight uniform was in her precarious position. Cheeks blushing with a force hot enough to compete with her vibrant hair, she pulled the cloak over her face, "Pervert." she muttered, the voice muffled through the heavy fabric. He grimaced, giving up and sitting back down, absently twirling the weapon used to stab him in the back merely a few hours ago between his fingers.

"Shouldn't we be contacting Jeremiah to let him know about the attack?" C.C. asked him over the radio. The raven-haired man shrugged even though she couldn't see him, "He'll be hearing from me soon. Just not over the phone, and not from where he was expecting us to be." he trailed off with a smirk.

"I.. see." she trailed off in confusion, not looking to argue, "Also… are you sure we should just leave him like that?" C.C. hesitantly asked, clearly referring to the pale, bloody corpse lying half a dozen meters away where he had dragged it after bandaging up Kallen for the first time. Lelouch raised an eyebrow, "The problem being? He was just a Geass user, it's not as if he's going anywhere."

"I know, but… having a corpse just lying there next to her won't make Kallen feel any better." C.C. quietly pointed out. Looking back towards Kallen who seemed to be trying to appear impartial in their small argument by resolutely looking at the sky and away from the carcass, Lelouch sighed and got up, thankful that he had enough self control not to point out that he was the only one that died so far today.

Grabbing the carcass by its arms with a grunt, he dragged it over towards the treeline a bit further away, leaving it leaning against a tree in a crude parody of what a sitting figure might look like. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he narrowed his eyes for a second as his mind spun the gears behind them, before taking Kallen's sidearm from his pocket and unceremoniously unloading a single round into the figure's head with a gunshot that echoed around the field, shocking flocks of birds from the surrounding trees.

Despite C.C.'s somewhat inferior piloting skills - at least when compared to an ace like Kallen - she still managed to move the unwieldy leviathan of war with great efficiency and haste, as demonstrated in the mad squeal of tires as she hurried towards Lelouch's figure, stopping just shy of unloading a hail of high velocity shells with a yell, "Lelouch!"

He calmly turned around, wiping a fleck of blood from his cheek and walking back towards the startled Kallen, "Just making sure." he muttered, "Pass me your phone." he ordered the stunned redhead, who scrambled to hand him the device, eyes wide. Calmly retaking his seat against the bench, he dialled a number from memory and waited as it rang.

"Hello?" came a young girl's suspicious voice. He smiled, closing his eyes in relief now that he knew she was safe, "Hello, _darling_. Are you having a nice day?" he asked monotonously, making Kallen lean her head back down with a groan.

He moved the device away with a grimace as a burst of static resounded, before someone picked up the phone from where they dropped it and responded, "You! Why are _you _calling me?" Kaguya hissed, torn between relief at hearing from Lelouch and anger that he would call her so carelessly.

"Just checking in, sweetheart." he replied in a terribly dull voice that would make flowers wilt away, "Could you buy some tulips for your _dear _assistant on the way home? Tell her they're from an _anonymous admirer_." he stressed, smirking at the sound of C.C.'s exasperated sigh from his ear as he had his little revenge for her pillow missile yesterday. She slowly moved the Gurren back to the middle of the field with a squeal of wheels, returning to her guard duty.

"I'll… be sure to do that." Kaguya replied, "Stay safe." she finished, before ending the call with a click. "Thank you." Lelouch said to Kallen, holding the phone out to the lying redhead. She peered at him with one tired blue eye before turning away with a sigh, clearly not interested in continuing their conversation after his sudden decision to scare her half to death.

Lelouch put her phone in his pocket instead, giving a tight smile, "Would you like a hug or something? I'm afraid I don't have a lot of experience in dealing with _children_." he stressed, receiving a kick to the head for his troubles which made the redhead hiss with pain as her wound flared up, before pulling the cloak closer and letting out a disgusted huff.

"Lelouch, I think they're here." C.C.'s voice crackled as she turned around to the east, her radar beeping as it detected several approaching flying objects. Standing up yet again, Lelouch shielded his eyes from the sun, squinting at the several approaching dots in the distance, "I'm going to need this back." he murmured to Kallen, gently removing the coat from below her head and putting it on.

As the audible whirring buzz of atmospheric engines in the distance became louder, he slowly wrapped a shawl around his face before pulling a cap out of the pocket and placing it on his head, completing his makeshift disguise. The shining violet eyes were the only part of his face that could be seen as he raised his head to look at the approaching aircraft, nodding in satisfaction at the golden eye they had painted on their hulls, "C.C., wait here for a while before following us. That thing might be equipped with the latest in our anti-radar technology, but it can still be seen by anyone with a good pair of eyes."

Without waiting for a response, he leaned over and scooped up Kallen in his arms, making her stammer in surprise as the black transport craft landed close to them after lowering the heavy landing struts with a slam. The two heavily equipped black Gareths remained hovering in midair with a buzz, their factospheres shining as they repeatedly scanned the area, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she whispered to him urgently.

He readjusted his hold on her slightly, managing not to groan at the weight and potentially embarrass her even further than the princess carry she was subjected to already had, "You weren't planning on walking with that leg, were you?"

"Obviously not! But you could have just lent me your shoulder or something, this is just… oh no." she groaned, hiding her scarlet face in the crook of his neck as the backdoor to the transport slowly opened with a hiss, two pairs of heavily armoured men in Royal Guard uniforms exiting, their lances held at the ready. One of them, a true giant standing at over two meters in height with an impressive build to match knelt to the ground, the rest of the men following suit, their weapons resting on the ground next to them, "My Lord." he greeted Lelouch over the nearly deafening sound of still spooled up engines.

"Rise, Edward. You've done a fine job." the former Emperor said. He nodded towards the carcass, still sitting where he had left it on the other side of the field, "That's the one. Get him stored in the tank, I'm taking no chances with this, simple user or not."

The men rose up as one, a pair marching away to do his bidding, towing a wheeled coffin-like container behind them with dozens of differently coloured tubes extended and waving around, presumably waiting to be plugged in another machine when its cargo was loaded.

"I think it's about time we made our way home, don't you think?" Lelouch Vi Britannia whispered into Kallen's ear, his violet eyes shining as he walked into the waiting aircraft past the saluting men and left Japanese soil for the first time in a year, ready to go back to Britannia.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it or have any comments or criticisms.


	7. Chapter 7

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**RETURNING READERS PLEASE READ:**

Hi there! Welcome back to All Hail Britannia. Before you read on, I have to tell you that after identifying a potentially fatal plothole, I have decided to heavily rewrite and edit the entire story up to this point! This is a **NEW CHAPTER**, and not a copy of previous Chapter 7.

If you're a **returning reader**, please **turn back now** and **start again from Chapter 1**, otherwise you might get lost in this and following chapters! I hope you enjoy all the improvements and changes we have made, and that you won't get bored before you get back.

The rewrite was already planned and in motion before we discovered a huge plot hole and decided it would be easier to simply rewrite most of the story up to this point. I have combined several chapters as well as rewriting, so this is now the new chapter 7. This is a result of three full days of painful, grueling rewriting and editing by me, with the help of ~AverageLucas but I am pleased by the result.

I apologize for this huge A/N! Without any further ado, enjoy.

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**\- Pendragon, Britannian Mainland - **

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Jeremiah stood up after the door closed behind his guests and moved his neck around with a creak, trying to work out the kinks from the long, restless night. He walked over to the small coffee machine in the corner and poured himself a fresh cup. Remembering his guest at the last moment, he asked her "Would you like some?"

The Empress signed her name with a grand flourish after reading another document before replying, "No, thank you, Jeremiah. I'm afraid I never really had the time to build up the addiction like everyone around me. My brother didn't want me handling something so hot, you see."

He raised a curious eyebrow as he sat back down, letting out a sigh as the padded leather surface eased the pressure on his spine-mounted cybernetics, "My augmentations can simply flush the tiredness out of my system, but I confess I still do enjoy drinking it." he took a sip and made a mental reminder to make a new batch as the sour, barely warm liquid hit his tastebuds, "I do enjoy hearing about these little tidbits of your life, though. You and your brother were both very dear to me."

Nunnally hummed in agreement, reading over a new document and changing the subject, "I know you're displeased about me appointing Anya as the acting Praetorian Commander, but truly, what else is she going to do?" she asked him, smiling, "That girl needs something to keep her busy or she'll spend all her time cooped up in her chambers."

"The problem, my Lady," Jeremiah slowly began, "is that in doing so you have guaranteed I'll be handling all of the paperwork Edward normally would on top of my other workload." his augmentations softly whirring, he raised his hands in a shrug, "I don't particularly mind, but I still think she would be better off guarding you instead. After all, we still haven't caught Schneizel's killer."

Nunnally nodded, rubbing her eyes, "Yes, that's true. I still think it would be better for her, though." she smiled, her mood improving, "And that's why I'll be spending most of the day here. Who better to protect me than someone as manly as you?" she asked him, making him smile at her teasing, "We're still going to need to do something about this murderer running around." he responded tiredly, pulling out a document from the large and reading through it.

She had spent the better part of the night crying after receiving the news from Anya. Schneizel had still been a large part of her early life, and she remembered him fondly for the most part. Sometimes, she regretted leaving the matter to Suzaku and Jeremiah, but Lelouch's written instructions were clear. His precious little sister was to leave it to them, and he wouldn't take any objections.

She raised her ink pen from a document and pointed it at him accusingly, "Action, Jeremiah! That's what we need, action! So far, everything we've been doing is reacting!" she proclaimed, slamming her fist on the desk. The effect would have been slightly intimidating if not for the fact that she was dressed in an especially fetching, and somewhat frilly one piece blue dress today, with a rather adorable white bowtie at her throat.

He wiped the smile from his face with another sip of the terribly timid beverage as her eyes angrily flashed at him, nodding in agreement, "It is as you say, Your Majesty."

She leaned back with a grin, a white gloved hand supporting her chin, "Tell me about my brother, Jeremiah. I know you tried to hide the fact you sent Kallen on a mission to see him last night. How is he? Did she say anything?"

He sighed, "As always, you can see right through me, your Majesty." he said, making her giggle, "I've received a call from her an hour ago. She said he had gravely insulted her honour within a few minutes of their meeting, as I've expected." he began, smiling at the sound of her laughter, "Both him and C.C. appear to be in high spirits. He sends his love, and has added that he is exceedingly proud of his little sister for performing so admirably without his help."

He pointedly looked away, enjoying the comfort of his seat for a few minutes as he waited for her sobs to subside, before speaking again, "I'm afraid that's all I can share with you, though. Rest assured I'll tell you anything he allows me to tell you, though." taking a sip, he spoke again, "And where's Zero? I haven't seen him since this morning."

Nunnally blew her nose with a frilly white handkerchief before replying, "I believe he's asleep. He has been up for the best part of a few days, after all. Poor Suzaku, he needs to stop pushing himself so hard." Jeremiah nodded in agreement, "The blonde man… Robert, was it? Zero referred to him a 'kid' last night in front of me. I think he was more tired than he let on, I could barely keep the amusement off of my face."

She giggled, "Poor Suzaku! He has to act so hard to keep Zero's image intact. I wish he'd take it off sometimes, but I understand why he can't." taking a deep breath, she moved a loose strand of her long brown behind her ear before continuing, "I still have a few dozen of these to sign, so if you'll excuse me for a moment."

He murmured his agreement, standing up and walking over to the window, drinking in the view of the skyline and the lush green courtyard of the Palace. It was going to be a long day, he mused, eyes narrowing as he looked at the training ground below where a commotion seemed to be taking place.

0o0o0o0o0o0

The tiny girl could move surprisingly fast when she needed to, Archibald thought as they stopped near one of the windows in a hallway a couple of floors below the Minister's office. She turned around, watching their heavily breathing forms for a moment and cocked her head, "Tired?"

"Not at all, m'Lady." Archie replied while steadying his breath. He turned around and gave the significantly more winded Robert a slap on the back that made him stumble and shouted, "Fit as a fiddle, we are!"

"Is that so?" she blinked, her respect for them going up a few notches, "We're nearly there, follow me." said the girl, rounding a corner ahead as the men struggled to catch up to her quick footsteps. A large, sturdy looking pair of doors resided opposite of them on the other side of the large hallway, two members of the Royal Guard in full armoured uniforms standing guard on each side. The golden eye, symbol of the Royal Guard, shone down at them from above, Robert noticed as their small group approached..

The pair of guards slammed their rifles down and saluted to the Knight of Two as she approached, before wordlessly opening the large doors with a push of a few buttons on a keypad and letting them through.

Both of the men had their breaths taken away as they entered into what looked like a large ballroom, the doors shutting behind them with a slam. The most eye catching feature was the large grey fountain in the middle that provided a soothing background noise, the stream of water glittering in the morning light that fell on them. A few dozen figures sat on its outskirts and a few benches and tables around he room, with a dozen more moving around the with purpose, entering and exiting some of the large open doorways that dotted its sides.

Anya wordlessly stepped down the small stairway leading from their entrance to the marble surface of the room. As she did, all of the men and women in the room turned towards her and saluted with fists over their hearts, the noise of flesh striking flesh echoing through the suddenly quiet room like a gunshot. As if used to this treatment, The Knight of Two waved them away, "At ease. Thank you, everyone." before turning around to the two still shocked men and smiling for the first time.

"We are in the area collectively referred to as the 'quiet room'. People use it for thinking or writing, or simply for relaxation. It is also the entrance to the rest of the facilities used by the Royal Guards." she finished quietly, turning around and walking to the other side of the hall.

The two men wordlessly followed her, unable to keep their gaze in one place as they tried to take in everything around them. Large arched windows sat high above them on their right, providing most of the light in the room, though there were a couple of massive chandeliers hanging above, doubtlessly providing more than sufficient illumination at night.

Potted plant life of all species dwelled on the sides of the hall, giving the mostly grey toneless room a splash of badly needed colour, and livening up otherwise sterile clean smell with many different aromas. Anya kept talking as they moved, "If I remember correctly, around five hundred praetorians live inside of the Palace itself and serve as the last line of defence. The total number is always kept near one thousand, though they are also deployed around the mainland."

She gestured to a large pair of doors next to the smaller side room they were approaching, "The dormitories. You'll have to ask someone else for specifics, I never used them since I live upstairs." before pointing a finger to the three doorways on the far left of the room, "The cafeteria and the common room." she paused, mouth open as she pointed at the third one before turning around with a disappointed look, "I'm afraid I forgot what that one is, you'll have to-" Robert nodded exasperatedly, "Ask someone else, yes. We will."

She patted his shoulder, giving him a pleased thumbs up, "You learn fast." she said with satisfaction and stopped in front of the small doorway, pointing a finger at it, "The armoury." before putting a thumb to the small keypad on the side and entering, holding the door open for them.

It was a comparatively smaller room, with what looked like a grilled countertop window. A slightly older man in his early forties rose up from his leaned position on the counter and saluted the pink haired girl, "My Lady. I'm surprised to see you here, is there a problem with your sidearm?"

She shook her head, Robert's eyes following the pink twintails as they bounced around hypnotically, "Two new members." she quietly said in monotonous tone, pointing a finger at the two men, "Previously regular infantry, they'll need the…" she trailed off and looked at her phone with a frown before glancing up at the patient man, "Full combat armour… I think. The lances too." she snapped the phone closed, then turned around and placed her hands on each of their shoulders, patting them, "To the training grounds when you're done." she quietly ordered, before exiting the room and leaving two bewildered men behind her.

The older man pointedly cleared his throat, turning their attention to him, "I'm Gabriel, the official Chief Armourer for the Royal Guard. You'll be… Robert and Archibald?" he asked, squinting down at a datapad in one hand before pressing a button to open a small side door with a buzz and waving them through.

Archibald let out a low whistle as they came in and got their first look at the arsenal the Royal Guard had at their disposal. Regular infantry issue armour hung next to advanced looking power plated pieces and heavy flak jackets of all sizes - all of them dark grey and with a painted symbol of the golden eye. An entire wall at the back was filled with long, devastating looking lances used by the Guard, with a shelf next to them devoted to holding advanced looking rifles neither of them have seen before. It seemed that the Empress's personal guard received only the very best.

Gabriel entered into the backroom, holding a heavy looking bundle under each arm and smiling at their faces, "We have to equip around a battalion's worth of men and women, the heavier equipment is in the back, but you won't need that yet. This isn't the only armoury in the Palace." he said, putting down the uniforms on the large metal table in the middle of the room before consulting his data pad once again, "I'll give you some time to put these on. You'll get your helmets and sidearms later." and nodded, before exiting the room.

"This is some expensive looking equipment." Robert said as he carefully lifted the lightly armoured trousers, "I don't think even the Ashfords could afford to equip their security with this kind of stuff."

"Aye, I feel like I could survive a slash harken to the chest with this." Archie responded as he put on the ridged, slightly segmented combat jacket on over his shirt. He finished the ensemble off with one of the nondescript long grey coats all of the Royal Guard wore, "Heavier than I expected. Must have some inbuilt kevlar." he finished, roughly patting it with his fist.

Gabriel walked in just as they equipped the shiny multi headed spears and were carefully testing the balance. After letting them get used to their new range of movement for a few seconds, the man carefully placed a pair of white cloaks with the insignia of the golden eye they had seen a few times before on top of the table.

"The cloaks signify your status. With these, you can claim the rank of Major in the field if needed, and the men will follow you without objections." he reverently smoothed out a few wrinkles and spoke quietly, "Once you put these on, every action you take will reflect on the Empress herself." he paused, sliding them across the table, "You're both trained men, so I won't go into any unnecessary details. However, your status has risen significantly and you will be expected to act like it. Britannia takes care of her own, and you are the face of Britannia now."

He smiled as they put the cloaks on and secured them in place. Wordlessly, they both saluted to the armourer, eager to get started with their new life. He saluted back, grinning ear to ear, "May Saint Darwin be with you. All hail Britannia!"

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Training grounds, she said?" Robert asked Archie as they made their way out of the armoury, looking around with confusion. Archie nodded and stopped a casually dressed man who was busy looking down at a data-pad, "'Scuse me, lad, would you know where the path to the training grounds is?" he asked politely. The other man looked up at him in shock then grinned, "New praetorians? Excellent! It's right that way." he said, pointing to a large double door to their left. He patted Archie's shoulder, "Good luck, brothers." and walked off before the confused redhead could respond.

"These spears are lighter than I expected." Robert said as they made their way across the marble floor. He hefted it in his hand, experimentally, raising it up and down a few times, "Bet you the edge of that blade is pretty sharp, though."

"Wouldn't want to get poked with one of these buggers, that's fer sure." Archie replied, squeezing his heavily gloved hand experimentally, "Not too much heavier than the normal infantry stuff, but it feels like I could power through anything. It's some good quality armour, it is."

Opening the door in front of them, they walked out into the warm morning light. The large training ground was enclosed, was their first thought as they noticed the large, tall wall surrounding the premises. They were still high up in the Palace, so the grass and trees must be artificial, Robert mused, looking at the slowly swinging branches of a tall specimen to his right suspiciously. A track circled the courtyard itself, which to his estimates was somewhere around a hundred or so meters in length and width, leaving ample space for the morning runners to use the slightly smaller track in peace.

They noticed their pink-haired guide leaned against one of the trees, head stuck in her phone again. Approaching her, Robert gathered his courage to speak, "You asked for us, my Lady?" She looked up impassively, pink eyes measuring him up and down before doing the same to Archie, leaving them both slightly anxious until she nodded in approval, "Good job." and leaned away from the tree, heading for the sand filled central area of the courtyard, clearly expecting them to follow her.

"New praetorians go through intensive training before they are allowed to personally guard the Empress herself, or an important official such as Minister Gottwald. While you're still in training, the only thing you'll be doing is standing around and guarding doorways." she turned back and smiled, "From what I've read, you should have experience with that."

Stopping in the middle of the sand filled area that was presumably used for sparring, she slowly took off her cloak and threw it away, revealing a rather normal dark jacket with the symbol of the Knights of Round etched on the back, though the odd combination of rather daring shorts followed by pink stockings going into a pair of military boots made Robert raise an eyebrow, "Please understand this isn't normal procedure, but Jeremiah said I have to test your abilities in close ranged combat."

She looked at one of the runners and waved, pointing to the doorway leading back to the large hall. The sweating man nodded and saluted before letting out a sharp whistle, drawing attention from everyone in the courtyard, "Back inside! The Knight of Two needs space!"

The courtyard quickly cleared. leaving the small group alone in the large field with the whistling sound of wind as their only company. Anya started bouncing on the balls of her feet, arms held non threateningly by her sides, "Please try to attack me with those spears you received." she said quietly.

They hesitated for but a moment before raising the spears in front of them and surging forward. With a hiss of expelled air, Robert stabbed straight at her while Archie performed a scything sweep from the side. To his surprise, instead of leaning back or ducking, the girl jumped - her small legs carrying her further up than they had any right to and dodged both of their attacks, before transitioning into a flying spinning kick that struck the side of Robert's head leaving him slightly dazed.

Landing, she deftly leaned back and did a magnificent backflip, her pink twintails flying through the air as she dodged Archie's second sweep while Robert recovered, "Due to my physique, I don't normally fight barehanded." she remarked calmly, seemingly unfazed by their efforts. Dodging Robert's overhead stab, she kicked the back of his knee, the armored knee joint useless in stopping an attack from the back, making him hiss in pain.

Archie's wild stab missed as she used the blonde's slightly lowered back as a surface to spin around on top of and away from the blade, leaving him bewildered. Uncaring, she brutally kneed Robert in the face and dodged Archie's bare handed punch, before performing another spinning kick that left him reeling and clutching his side.

"Enough." she said, both men breathing hard from the hits they'd sustained, "If this was a real fight, both of you would be dead already." she said, kicking her feet together. In front of their bewildered eyes, a pair of long, sharp looking blades appeared from the front of her leather boots, "That first kick would have brought this right through your head, leaving you shivering on the ground while your brain oozed out of your skull." her quiet voice informed Robert, pointing to her left boot and making both men grit their teeth in embarrassment,

"And that spinning kick would have brought this-" she raised her right boot, "between your ribs and into your heart. You would be dead in seconds." she finished with pointing at Archibald and crossed her arms, "You did well, don't worry." she smiled, "Since I'm so small, I have to rely on blades if I want to have any chance against someone like you." she pointed at Archie again making him grin.

"The entire point of this was to show you that while those spears you have might look useful, having a reliable gun is more useful still." she patted her sidearm for emphasis, before pausing, "Or a Knightmare. Though not the Mordred, that one's mine. You'll be receiving further training in both - those rifles are quite a bit different from what you're used to shooting."

She took out her phone as it buzzed and looked at the time, her eyes narrowing, "Jeremiah tells me I have to go do paperwork now." she said unhappily, "Find someone to take you to your room, I believe it's number… two hundred and twelve." she snapped it closed, shaking out her cloak before putting it on. Taking out a small clip pad and a pen, she quickly scratched something down and ripped a page out, offering it to Robert, "My mail, if you need any help. Please do not share it." she said in her quiet tone, looking at him.

While to a casual observer it might have looked like the tiny girl was sharing her number out of romantic interest - the truth was Jeremiah simply didn't trust her with doing the Praetorian Commander's job properly, which is why she was going back to his office as soon as she finished with the training to get help with her paperwork. There was no malice in her actions, she was simply too tired to remember anything else, and took the path of least resistance by doing what lazy layabouts have done for centuries - put it off until later and pass it to someone else.

Bewildered, Robert took it with a bow of his head, "Thank you, my Lady." he said as he watched her retreating back before looking down at the small scrawled text. Archie leaned over and grabbed him in a chokehold, laughing hard enough to wake up the dead, "You _cheeky _little _bugger_! When did you have the time to get _that_?" he said, roughly rubbing his head like a doting father would. Robert growled, leaning out of the chokehold and stuffing the paper in his pocket while trying to keep the smile from his face, "You're just jealous, Archie."

"Damn right I am, you little traitor. Although I did see some pretty nice looking girls in there. Let's get going, I haven't had breakfast yet." the large man replied, still grinning ear from ear as he roughly patted the blonde on the back. They picked their spears up from the dusty ground and marched back into the hall, still quietly arguing if the pink haired girl was actually interested in Robert or just pulling his leg.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Lelouch leaned back against the wall, the vibrating surface the only thing separating him from a very long fall down into the middle of the Pacific. He had removed his impromptu disguise as soon as the door closed, and was deep in conversation with the leader of the mission sent to retrieve them, "I see. And there was no recorded footage of anyone entering or exiting the cell at all? Jeremiah already told me, but I'm finding it hard to believe."

Praetorian Commander and the man personally responsible for the Empress's safety, a man who responded only to Zero himself nodded. Edward was a tall man even by Britannian standards, standing well over two meters tall with an impressive physique to match. His very presence would be enough to terrify people even without seeing his scarred face or grizzled, choppy dark brown beard. His face was permanently set in a hard expression with his eyes suffering a similar fate with a permanent glare directed at everyone around him.

"No, your Highness. It was definitely your boy here, or someone with the same ability." he said quietly, the hard voice still echoing with a small rumble around the enclosed space while he pointed at the large white tank Lelouch was currently using as a footrest. It was attached to a small circular machine by its many tubes and cords, and produced a rather unsettling hissing sound that didn't seem to bother any of the men.

Lelouch let out a tired breath as his mind worked overtime to try and make sense of the enemy's plan. Why send one man to kill both him and Schneizel? He mused for the hundredth time, rubbing his forehead. Did they simply have no one else, or was there a different strategy he was missing? Even after thinking about it for so long, he couldn't make sense of it. What he needed was more information, and there was only way to get those.

He looked down at Kallen who was currently using his lap as a pillow and smirked at her innocent sleeping expression. The girl had all but fainted as soon as the Royal Guard had pumped her with sedatives before roughly treating her leg. They'd told him it would be a few days until she could walk again while the muscles and nerves were reconstructed in a medical bay, but she had gotten lucky as it was, indeed, just a flesh wound.

"I'll be honest with you, Edward." Lelouch murmured, taking his legs off of the tank and leaning towards the other man, lowering the tone of his voice, "I know you handpicked them, but how _loyal _are these men?" The rough man's hard expression finally cracked into a smile, "Completely, your Highness." he responded, pointedly tapping his eyebrow.

Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise, "How many? I thought Nunnally would purge all of them. I even specifically told Suzaku and Jeremiah not to interfere." Edward's smile grew larger, "I thought you might, which is why shortly after your death a hundred and fifty of your best men were sent to a peacekeeping operation. Officially, the transport plane suffered a malfunction and crashed with no survivors."

"And unofficially?" Lelouch asked, the smile that had been steadily growing throughout their conversation turning into a full blown smirk as he contemplated the possibilities he now had, "Unofficially, I have a fully equipped base on an island near Hawaii, stocked with enough weapons and Knightmares to equip an entire division. Staffed with men _utterly _loyal to Lelouch Vi Britannia."

"Who else knows?"

"Minister Gottwald is the only one. He made the decision not to tell the Empress or Zero, and I followed his instructions as you ordered. The supreme commander Cornelia doesn't suspect a thing, it's all completely off record." the man elaborated, folding his hands.

"Excellent." Lelouch hissed in satisfaction, shifting around slightly to offset Kallen's weight from his legs, "When will we be arriving?" he shouted to one of the pilots who turned around to yell back, "We're just coming into range of their anti-air batteries, my Lord! There's a bit of a storm brewing, but we'll be down in ten minutes."

Satisfied with the response, Lelouch moved a hand to his ear, pushing down a small button on the communicator, "C.C., we'll be landing soon, how is the Gurren doing?" a burst of static came through before her exhausted voice responded, "It's been a very smooth flight, I don't think the Japanese are even aware that we ever arrived or left. But Lelouch, what do you mean we'll be down in a few minutes? We're nowhere near the mainland."

"There's been a change of plans, we'll be staying there for a short while before we hop to the mainland. Follow us in, I'll let the men know not to shoot you down." and with a click cut off any further protest, leaning back and closing his eyes, "Radio ahead to let them know the Knight of Three's Knightmare will be following us down, and to bring a stretcher."

"Yes, my Lord."

A few minutes later, Lelouch felt someone shake his shoulder and jerked up, startled to realize he must have dozed off, "We're here, my Lord." Edward said, retracting his massive hand. Stifling a yawn, the former Emperor nodded in thanks, listening to the steady pitter patter of rain on the outside of the aircraft's hull.

Leaning down, he started gently yet persistently poking Kallen's soft cheek, making the redhead murmur in her sleep for a few seconds before blinking her tired eyes open and slapping his hand away, "_Zero? Whassat?_" she sleepily murmured before letting out a mighty yawn, "Are we there yet?"

"We've landed, but you're in no shape to walk. I'm going to carry you outside so they can put you on a stretcher, and I want you to refrain from punching me while I do so. Can you promise me that?"

Blushing, she groaned as she remembered what he had done to her, covering her eyes with a hand, "Fine. But if you drop me, I'm going to tear you from _limb _to _limb_, immortal or not." she hissed at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and looking away.

Coughing to hide his smirk, he slowly put his arms under her neck and below her knees before standing up, his weak muscles straining under the weight. Hefting her a bit higher, he slowly made his way out onto the wet pavement of the landing pad and gently placed her onto the awaiting wheeled stretcher. Unwrapping her arms from around his neck, she pulled the cloak higher to hide her face from the surrounding men, clearly uninterested in seeing the smirk on his face as they quickly rolled her away.

Standing up, he took his first proper look at the landing pad and noticed that there seemed to be a rather large welcoming party. Over fifty of his Royal Guard in full combat gear, lances held in their hands stood in the pouring rain, looking straight ahead. Nodding in approval, he turned to Edward, "I want a video link with Jeremiah as soon as you can set it up. Make sure he's _alone_ before you even mention my name, then get _that _into the holding cell, I'll have a look at it later." he finished, pointing a thumb at the white tank a pair of Praetorians were currently rolling out from the aircraft.

He turned back to the rows of the waiting guards, smiling when he saw them standing steadfast against the storm, uncaring that their cloaks were quickly getting soaked as they waited for him to speak, "Back to your stations, men! We have a lot of work to do!"

Edward saluted along with the rest of his men, the sound of their fists striking their chests louder than any thunder the sky could provide, "Yes, your Highness!" they all shouted, the symbol of Geass shining madly in their eyes.

0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Thank you for reading! If you're a returning reader and feeling confused, I invite you to go back to Chapter 1 and start over. I might be skipping this sunday as I have to focus on changing the future plotline, but updates will be steady as usual after that.

Thank you for reading! Please review if you have any comments or criticism.

Thank you to ~AverageLucas for helping with proofreading. Please go and read his stories too.


	8. Chapter 8

~0o0o0~

"...and then the dwarf says, "By Darwin! You think that's embarrassing, I couldn't even get on the bed!"" Archibald cheerfully finished to the obvious joy of a dozen other Royal Guards standing and sitting around their table who laughed hysterically, pounding the breakfast table and knocking their cups over. Robert came back with their trays and carefully sat down next to him, "What the hell are you telling them?" he murmured out of the corner of his mouth, looking at a man who was obliviously wiping tears of joy.

The cafeteria in the Praetorian part of the Palace was certainly different from any he'd been in before. It seemed like ordering custom made meals was a norm, and when one of the cooks had heard all he wanted was some scrambled eggs, sausages and a coffee and not a roasted turkey sandwich with twenty additions, he had looked shellshocked. Still, he could probably grow used to this, the blonde mused as he took in the smell of his coffee that practically oozed with quality. So much different than the regular mud they'd be served in the infantry.

"I don't know! You'd think these lads've never heard a joke before." Archie whispered back, gulping down his milk, "It actually scares me a wee bit." Robert shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth before replying, "You know who usually gets accepted into the Royal Guard?" seeing Archie shake his head, he continued, pointing a fork at one of the tall men with aristocratic features at another table, "Nobles and Knightmare pilots, or both. Now how many times do you think one of them has heard a common joke about a _dwarf _you'd share with your mates over a pint?"

Archibald opened his mouth to reply before closing it again with a frown. It was well known that the Nobles were for the most part rather hesitant to mix with the common folk in the Military. Even with the entire system of Nobility abolished by the previous Emperor, and the decision subsequently upheld by his sister, they still held some influence and were proud of it. The Royal Guard looked like a rather closed off and polite bunch from what he had seen so far, but they'd surrounded him like a bunch of frolicking puppies as soon as he had let his tongue wag freely.

"Ach, to hell with it." he said before raising his hand to address the men, "I'd love to continue, lads, but we haven't had breakfast yet." the standing men around them slowly cleared up with a nod and a grin, going back to their tables and leaving them in peace.

Archibald took a bite of his breakfast and hummed appreciatively, "Bloody hell, this the best sausage I've ever had. I wonder what else they serve back there?" his blonde friend shook his head sadly, "Probably all beyond your plebeian taste. They do make some good coffee, though." he said with a sip, closing his eyes to appreciate the taste.

"Tell you what I don't like, though. I haven't seen a single lass in here." Archibald quietly complained, pointing around the hall with his knife. Robert raised an eyebrow with a half-smirk, "I've noticed it as well. Must be a real shame, not having a Knight of Round sharing her mail address with _you_." he said with false compassion, waving his own fork around sadly.

The redhead looked back at him with a small smile, making the other man frown at the unexpected reaction, "Robbie, how old do you think she is?"

"The Knight? I'm not sure, maybe eighteen or nineteen? Although she is a bit short for her age." Robert replied, rubbing his stubbled chin. He suddenly looked up at Archie's growing grin and paled, "Wait, you're not saying-"

Archie slammed the table, rattling his half empty plate as he guffawed, "She's just shy of seventeen, lad! I remember looking it up, yer practically a cradle robber!" he kept laughing as Robert slowly looked down at his coffee, lips pursed in thought. The soft background noise around the meal hall started slowly rising in level as more Praetorians came in to have their morning meal after returning from their night shifts around the Palace.

"Nevertheless!" he began, slamming the fork down and pointing a finger at the still grinning redhead, "At least I've actually gotten _somewhere_! And look at you, not even thinking up a plan of approach! Do you think a woman is just going to drop out of the sky so you can-"

"Excuse me brothers, but would you happen to be the new members they've told me about?" a quiet feminine voice interrupted him, making him turn around. His mouth opened in a small o in shock before he forced it closed again with sheer strength of will.

A tall girl stood a short distance away from his bench, holding a tray piled high with scrambled eggs and meat in one hand and a helmet under the other, wearing a soft smile as she looked at them. The usual Royal Guard uniform he'd seen around the palace many times before covered her rather generously proportioned breasts - which he glanced at for but a fleeting moment - while she wore her cloak proudly slung over one shoulder.

Archie was quick to react as soon as she finished speaking, brutally kicking Robert under the bench in a silent signal to move over even as he grinned up at her, "'twould be us, aye. You're welcome to join us, I think we could use a wee bit of help getting around the place."

She grinned, holding up her cloak and carefully stepping over the bench as Robert scooted over to make space, placing her helmet next to her plate on the desk, "It is so rare we get any new members!" she spoke softly, "Not since the Empress took to the throne, at least." the unannounced girl folded her white gloved hands on the table, "My name's Anna. May I have yours?"

Anna was a rather tall girl, Robert noticed after a subtle once-over. Though not as tall as Archibald, he would guess her to be just around his own height, making her more than slightly taller than the average Britannian woman. Dark blonde hair fell down to just below her shoulders in slightly messy straight waves, doubtlessly owing to the helmet she had worn, with light blue eyes peeking below a loose curl that kept falling back in front of her every time she pushed it back behind an ear

Archie slammed Robert's unarmoured ankle yet again before he could open his mouth, ignoring his glare as he introduced them with a disarming grin, "Name's Archibald, 's nice to see a pretty face around here. That's Robert over there; he's a bit of a quiet sort, though his background might be more like what you're used to with your upbringing."

"It's nice to meet you both!" she replied, clapping her hands together for a moment, "Though I'll have to disagree. I'm just a humble daughter of a fisherman from Perm, Area twenty five." she paused to take a sip of what looked like tea from her tray, "Forgive me, I believe we're calling it _Russia _again, as decreed by the previous Emperor when he abolished the Areas."

"Impressive. We signed the contracts this morning, though we won't be taking the oaths for a few days yet." Robert spoke up, stirring his coffee, "I do have to ask, though, you mentioned _brothers_?"

Anna raised her arms to the sides, encompassing the entire half-full room they were in, "All of us are brothers and sisters here. We're united in devoting our life to defending the Throne, and many of us have been here for years, if not decades." she said proudly, her tone ringing with the sound of a clear bell as her expression turned serious, a stark contrast to the warm, calm demeanor she'd exuded so far.

She quickly smoothed it over, leaning back down, "I've only joined last year after our Empress began her reign, though, so it's nice to meet someone new." she grinned shyly with pearly white teeth, "I hope you share our ideals."

Archibald grinned back and reached across the table to shake the girl's pale hand, "That's something I can get behind. You're a long way from home, though. How does a former number become a part of the Royal Guard in Britannia?"

She started cutting into the pile of food on her tray as she talked, "I fought against our former Prime Minister's forces in the final siege of Moscow, you see. I was in the infantry anti-knightmare brigades, and my squad managed to disable one of the invading Knightmares." she gestured with her hands, imitating a soldier holding a rocket launcher and making Robert smile, "We shot the pilot after he jumped out and tried to run, but not before he called for reinforcements."

She absentmindedly tapped a finger against her pale cheek in thought, "My entire squad got killed, but I managed to jump back into the Knightmare before they got me. It only had one leg, but all of its weapons were still running."

The girl gestured at a small winged medal attached to the front of her uniform and tapped it, "Later on, they awarded me this for serving in the Knightmare corps. Back then, I managed to destroy close to two dozen of your Knightmares before they blew out the arms too. One of your Knights of Round stopped them from killing me, said they could use more _men _with skills like me. They were so shocked to see a girl covered with blood crawl out!" she hid her smile behind a hand.

"You did that? After never piloting a Knightmare before?" Robert blinked in shock, "That must have been Lord Gino, though I hear he's retired now. I suppose the Knights of Round have a good eye for talent."

"Possibly! The war was over by that time, though, and we officially became a part of the Britannian Empire." she shrugged, waving a knife through the air, "The leadership never agreed with being part of the EU, but it was necessary even though they were sucking the country dry. So when we got conquered, a good deal of men signed right back up as honorary citizens, eager to retain their earlier status. Me? As you can see, I had grander plans." she awarded them both with bright smile, before starting to dig into her meal..

They nodded, politely giving her a few minutes to start clearing her plate while they finished their drinks, quietly discussing their thoughts, "I'm telling you, Robbie, this is the one!" Archie whispered, eyes twinkling, "I mean, just _look _at her! She's like a saint!"

Robert grinned, "Archie, we'll be calling each other _brothers _and _sisters_ from now on. I wonder how the rest of the men here would feel if you tried anything with their _sister_?" he quietly responded, gesturing to the groups of men sitting at the other tables. It would seem their new friend was rather well known, as she kept responding to the occasional waves by waving back her fork with a soft smile.

Archibald chewed on the inside of his cheek for a few seconds before responding, "Yer right, it does feel like she's a bit of a mascot to these lads here." he leaned back, pounding a closed fist onto his palm, "I'm not giving up on this, though! You know as well as I do, Robbie, girls stick together in these parts. I'm sure she can introduce me to a friend."

The blonde man shrugged, "I've got your back. Know this, though - If her friends are as pretty as she is, I'll be expecting an introduction too." he grinned, holding out a fist that Archie bumped before they both leaned back like nothing happened, clearly eager to get moving upon seeing her empty plate.

The girl spoke upon noticing their gazes, "Do you need help with finding your way around the facilities? I've just returned from a night shift, but I'd love to help you." she grinned, clearly excited, "It's a bit refreshing, having someone new around - I think you're the first ones in a full year."

"It would be much appreciated if you could. The Knight of Two stopped halfway through because she couldn't remember where all the doors led, so we'll be relying on you to show us around the place." Robert said with a smile as he remembered their guide.

"Oh, you don't need to take those." Anna said as he piled their trays and picked them up, waving away his attempts to take hers, "The staff will take care of it if you just leave them here. If I may ask, which part of the Military did you serve in before coming here?"

"Infantry, both of us." Archie said, picking up his lance as they stood up, "I'm surprised this place has so much supporting staff on hand, considerin' what it is. Wouldn't have thought so many would be allowed to attend to the Royal Guard."

"Really?" she blinked at him with surprise, "I never thought of it like that. Don't you think they're happy to serve the Empress in any way they can? If you look at all of us," she paused to wave back to a small group of men that came in through the door they were moving towards, "we're practically a part of The Empress herself. Or at least her right hand, if you will." she raised it for emphasis, wriggling her long fingers before smiling.

"Aye? What would the Military be, then?" Archibald asked as they entered into the 'Quiet Room' as the Knight of Two had called it. Anna looked back at him and shrugged, "Why, her fist, of course." leaving the two men mentally scratching their heads at her terminology.

They paused beside the large fountain, following their impromptu guide as she took a seat on its rim, helmet held under her hand, "Where we just came from is the cafeteria, and to the right you have the common room." she pointed at each of the doors in turn, "The recreational facilities are to the left. We have a pretty large pool, I think you'll enjoy it!" she said with a small smile, "Not as cold as where I used to swim back at home."

"This all seems rather lax for an elite unit." Robert said, holding the shaft of the spear under his arm, the winged blade far behind his head as he leaned forward, resting it against the ground, "I was under the impression you'd receive special training if you were a Praetorian?"

Anna nodded, pulling a loose lock behind her ear, "Of course. Brother Edward - the Praetorian Commander - had overseen the first part of my training, but the rest was done by more experienced members in individual sessions. Nothing but the best for the Empress's elite, you see." she pursed her lips, "I don't think he's here right now, but I'm sure it won't be too different for you. Since you were in the infantry, I doubt it will take more than a few weeks."

"'S right, Knightmares." Archie said, slamming a fist into his palm, "You learn how to pilot one while you're in 'ere, right? Never thought I'd have the chance to even get close to one of them."

"Oh yes, you do!" she quietly replied, glancing around the room, "If you need any advice, please feel free to ask. There's not much to do right now aside from standing guard around the Palace. Don't forget-" she grinned, "we're all brothers and sisters here, anyone you ask will be more than happy to help you."

She patted Archie's shoulder before standing up and turning to face them, "I'll show you around the dormitories so you can see where your room is." the blonde girl said, the golden light coming from the windows far above framing her in an ethereal halo of light that made Archie uncomfortably shift around on his impromptu seat, "It's this way." she said, turning around with a flourish and slowly moving away, the white cloak settling down around her shoulders.

"Robert…" Archie started in a weak voice.

"I know." he replied, clearing his throat, "You don't have to say anything."

Archibald shook his head as they stood up and followed her to a large door near the armoury they'd previously visited, "I think I'm in love." he whispered.

"I think there's more to that girl than we know." Robert muttered, looking at the waves and greetings their guide seemed to get from everyone in the room, greeting them back with a smile and a wave of her pale hand, "These Praetorian women are going to break your heart if you let them. So don't." he gave his friend a slap on the back before flinching his hand away with a curse as the previously soft looking cloak hardened into a rock solid surface beneath his fist, shaking his hand to relieve the pain.

Archie kept shaking his head and muttering something under his breath, making Robert rub his chin in thought. It seemed like his warning might have come too late. For both of them.

0o0o0o0o0o0

**Later that day**

**\- Hawaii Islands, Britannia - **

0o0o0o0o0o0

C.C. passed by the pair of the Royal Guards standing in front of the door with barely a glance, entering the main command room of the facility with a hiss as the door closed behind her. Lelouch, his face still dirty with dry blood, sat in one of the high backed swiveling chairs, busily arguing with someone on the monitor, "No, it's in a stasis tank in one of the cells below. I stabbed him in the back a dozen times before putting a bullet in his head for good measure - you can never be too careful with Geass users."

The green haired woman casually made her way towards him across the empty room and rested her arms on the back of his chair, making him glance at her before turning back to Jeremiah's tired face on the screen. She smiled, waving to her old acquaintance, "Hello, Jeremiah. Good to see you again."

"Lady C.C.!" he smiled back, face lighting up, "Same to you. Thank you for keeping his Highness safe, we are all very grateful for your efforts."

"It was nothing." she waved his compliment away as Lelouch leaned back in his chair, letting them have a moment, "It pains me to say, but he has done more for both of us than I could ever hope to. Do you remember him when he was running around and getting in fights with Nunnally while Marianne and I had tea? He was so adorable, back then, much different from how he is now." she winked down at him.

Jeremiah glanced away and cleared his throat, clearly not looking forward to playing part in her scheme to tease his Lord, "Yes, well, those were different times. Much has changed since." he replied neutrally. Lelouch, to his credit seemed completely disinterested in their conversation as he sat back, looking around the room curiously.

"C.C., why don't you go keep Kallen company?" he spoke up, patting her hand, "She's probably not very happy with being tied to a bed, and could use a friendly face." he waved over one of the Royal Guard standing by the door before she could protest, "Show her the way to the medical bay, if you will."

She smirked as the man saluted, "You don't leave me with too much choice, do you? Be sure to visit when you're done, I think she'll want an explanation about where we are." she gestured at the room in general before poking his shoulder with a pale finger, "And so will I."

Lelouch waited for her to exit before speaking up again, "Spending time with her is… tiring, I suggest you don't pay too much attention to her monologues. Now, regarding this Geass user of ours, Kallen has already told me of his abilities - he was definitely capable of assassinating Schneizel in the manner you described."

"I thought as much. That power to move through solid objects would no doubt be more than enough to sneak into the cell and do what he did before vanishing. The sheer audacity of it, however, it makes me angry." Jeremiah confessed.

"The question we should be asking ourselves is why send one man to kill Schneizel before sending him all the way around the world to go after me soon after." Lelouch replied, spinning the very knife used on him around the tip of its blade on the table, "It doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps they simply don't have enough Geass users to perform simultaneous strikes, or…"

He frowned, slamming the knife into the table where it stayed, swiveling from side to side, "Of course! Milly's phone! By Darwin, I am such a fool." he trailed off, rubbing his chin in thought, "I couldn't take the risk of calling Kaguya directly, and the next logical move would be to call my childhood friend. They were smart to tap both, not knowing where I was."

"This would imply they are actively monitoring calls of some rather highly placed workers in the UFN, not to mention the Britannian Palace itself might suffer from a similar problem." the other man mused. Lelouch looked up, "You're right, that does mean they might have infiltrated the highest levels of the UFN. Perhaps I'll call Kaguya to let her know." he murmured.

"What are your orders, my Lord?"

"There's not much we can do right now aside from waiting. I want you to double our efforts and start scouring the mainland and Area Ele- _Japan _both for their headquarters. As for the Geass users themselves… I don't know if they're simply a part of V.V.'s flock, or if we have another Code Bearer in the world." he spun the knife on his palm before pocketing it, "If they do, I will _crush _them. No one else has the right to carry this accursed power. _No one_!" he hissed.

"If they have a base, we will find it, My Lord." Jeremiah replied with a confident smirk, "We will find them and destroy them, like we have every other threat to this country so far. I guarantee it."

"Good man, Orange. I'll discuss all of this further with Edward and pass along anything of interest. In the meantime, I'll be waiting for your reports. Now tell me, how is my sister doing? How is Nunnally?" Lelouch asked, his mouth quirking into a small smile as it always did when he talked about his sister.

"She is well, your Highness. In fact, you missed her by barely an hour," Jeremiah began, glancing at the clock, "she was working here most of the day, as usual. I'm afraid the role of an Empress has become more passive as time goes on. Not enough to make her merely a ceremonial figure, but sometimes I do worry about it."

Lelouch waved off his concerns, "It's for the best. The Empire has had two brutal rulers in a row, and a calming touch is exactly what it needs right now." he paused with a sigh, "I think it would be for the best if we didn't see each other for now. Talking to you is one thing, but talking to her would be…"

"I understand, My Lord." Jeremiah quietly replied, "Rest assured she is anxious to hear from you, though, and would jump at the chance to see you again. And… as for _Zero_? What should I tell him?"

"For all of his boneheadedness and sense of justice, I don't believe Suzaku will be a problem going forward. You must understand, Orange, I never expected to have to leave our peaceful life and go back to hiding inside of a concrete cube such as this one." he waved at the room, and the base at large, "He will be angry, but he will also cooperate with me. He always does."

"You seem to have a lot of faith in him, your Highness. He seemed quite stressed when we… originally discovered you."

Lelouch smiled, "Relax, Jeremiah. He has a good heart, and knows what's the best for the country." he glanced down at his watch for a second, absentmindedly noticing a small crack running down the middle of the glass, "As long as Nunnally is happy, he'll be happy too. And so will I."

He stood up, trying to dust off his somewhat bloody coat before giving up with a disgusted look, "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to have a shower and get changed. My spine might have healed itself after being stabbed, but it still doesn't make it any less pleasant."

The other man nodded, "I'll call as soon as we have anything on the Geass Order, your Highness. Stay safe. All hail Britannia."

"All hail Britannia." Lelouch murmured back as he closed the connection and turned around with a swirl of his long coat, exiting the room. The Royal Guard saluted him, falling in step behind him and leaving the now empty room in silence..

0o0o0o0o0o0

The medical bay was a quiet, sterile place. The large room had close to thirty beds against the walls, each with a privacy curtain pulled back to show empty beds. All except for one, which contained The Knight of Three, Kallen Stadfeld. A door in the back led to what Lelouch presumed to be an operating room for heavier injuries, though it didn't seem Kallen had needed it as she was propped up on a couple of large pillows, animatedly talking to C.C. about something, dressed in a simple white patient's gown that made him turn his head and cough. A bit too tight, that one.

"I thought someone was playing a bad joke, you know?" she said to the seated C.C. who nodded in agreement, "After all, why on earth would I believe something as stupid as that? I thought Jeremiah was insane when he told me to expect a call and follow its orders without even saying who it's going to be."

She paused to regain her breath, taking a drink from a glass of water on the side table. C.C. crossed her legs on the rather uncomfortable visitor's chair before speaking, "But hearing you say that, it doesn't sound like you trusted his word. How did Lelouch convince you it was truly him?"

"That's… well…" Kallen stuttered, a small blush coming onto her cheeks and prompting him to finally speak as he moved closer, "I told her that bunny outfit she wore undercover at the casino which you rescued me from was downright scandalous." startling both of them and making Kallen bury her face in her hands with a muttered, "Not again…" when she saw him approaching.

"And furthermore, I reminded her that I offered her my jacket like any good man would. The two of us were the only ones in that room at the time, so it took very little convincing." he finished while taking a seat next to C.C., folding the coat in his lap.

C.C. gently patted Kallen's shoulder, "Fear not, it's not your fault he's a sexual deviant." she reassured her before turning to Lelouch who was looking at them with an uncharacteristic small smile on his face, seeing C.C. talking to someone she could rightfully consider a friend was a sight for his sore eyes, "I'm glad you finally washed all that blood off of you. What did Jeremiah say?"

"No new developments in the mainland at this time." he said, quietly explaining his conversation with the Marquis so far. Kallen leaned back on her pillows, pulling her blanket higher when he finished, "Where are we, Lelouch?" she finally asked, "And how long will we be staying?"

"I don't plan on staying here for more than a week or two at most. We might move earlier, depending on how the situation develops." he tapped his fingers over the other hand as he spoke, contemplating how much he would need to reveal to the girls.

"That doesn't answer my first question, does it?" Kallen spoke up, her blue eyes narrowing, "I know you were expecting this, and I was too tired to ask it before, but why are all of these men responding so well to seeing you?"

She paused, looking into his eyes for a few seconds before continuing as he showed no signs of speaking, "Jeremiah and Edward, I can understand. You were probably in contact with them, and they're loyal and close enough to The Empress to pass messages to her if necessary - but these regular Praetorians? We all remember how _loyal_ they were to you during your reign, but that time has passed now. I spoke to Nunnally," Lelouch grimaced at the name, "and she assured me Jeremiah had made sure every single one of her Royal Guards was serving out of their own free will."

She ended her small monologue, staring at him suspiciously. C.C. stayed quiet, folding her hands in her lap and looking at the wall as she tried to stay neutral even though she was as curious as the redhead was on the inside.

"Is that true, Lelouch? Or a yet another _lie_?" the redhead asked, her voice echoing around the large room.

The former Emperor raised his gaze from his lap and looked at the redhead for a long few seconds before leaning back in his chair, "Tell me, Q1, why did you join the Knights of Round?" he raised a finger to forestall her retort, "I'm trying to answer your question, so bear with me."

"To ensure the independence and prosperity of _Japan_, of course!" the redhead shot back, "I realized Suzaku had the right idea when you... died - the best way to influence the system was to do it from the inside. I am the single best Knightmare pilot in the world," she said with no pride, stating it as a simple fact, "Nunnally knew that, and couldn't deny me the position. And… well… when I realized what your plan was near the end…" she trailed off, sinking deeper into her pillows and looking away in slight shame when she realized how much pain her little speech must have caused him.

"Sorry." she mumbled through the blankets.

"I accept your apology, though I should really be apologizing instead." he said, gently patting her covered leg, "To answer your question-" he looked up at the blinding white lights that ran down the center of the medical bay, gathering his thoughts for a second, "Let's see… every Britannian citizen knows our Anthem by heart. Do you remember it?"

"I'm not a Britannian!" she hissed at him, "I might work for your sister to accomplish my goals, but I'll never be a _Britannian_! The day I stop being Japanese is the day I die." her gaze was hard, azure fire blazing in her eyes as she glared at him.

Lelouch coughed uncomfortably, "I apologize. There's a part of it which I'd like to tell you," he cleared his throat before speaking again, his refined voice quietly carrying around the empty room:

'_Our Emperor stands astride this world _

_He'll vanquish every foe! _

_His truth and justice shine so bright _

_All hail his brilliant light! _

_Never will he be overthrown _

_Like mountains and sea _

_His bloodline immortal and pure _

_All Hail Britannia!'_

He smiled at her surprised look, "The Praetorians all swear a personal oath to The Emperor himself. He hears their words and acknowledges them, giving them his full trust and love, as if they were his own children." the raven haired man paused for a moment, "This, of course, goes for Nunnally too, as she is their rightful ruler. I can't disclose the oath to you, as you haven't placed it yourself, but I will tell you this much; every single one of those men outside would give their lives for the Empress's bloodline without hesitation."

"And that includes…" she finally spoke out quietly, looking at him in a new light.

"Me too." he nodded before standing up and smoothing over his coat, "And never doubt it, I trust all of them with my life."

Silence stretched for a minute as they all gathered their thoughts, processing what he had told them. C.C. was the first to speak up, "Could you tell them to ready a bed for me in here? I'd like to stay with her until she gets better."

Kallen looked up in surprise, wiping her eyes, "Oh no, you don't have to! I'll be fine in a few days, and I don't want to inconvenience you further."

"It's good to have a friend when you're hurting, Kallen. I know this better than anyone else." Lelouch said quietly, his tone serious as he looked at the green haired woman fondly, "I'll do as you asked." he told C.C. before turning around and motioning for her to follow him, "I still have a few things to discuss with Edward, and I'd like you to be there for some of them. Get better soon, Q1."

C.C. nodded and quickly fell in step behind him after throwing the stunned Kallen a wave in lieu of a goodbye. She waited until the door closed behind them before quietly speaking up as they moved down the hallway, "Did you tell her the truth?"

He stayed silent for a few moments before shaking his head, "Of course not. All of the men on this island are still Geassed to be utterly loyal to me and my sister." he waved his hand to dismiss her shocked look, "I love that woman to death, but you know how she feels about the Geass of absolute obedience. Some things are best kept in dark from her."

"Does that include… Edward, too?"

"You think I'd leave a Praetorian Commander who served my father with free will to work against me? Cera, you know me too well for that." he whispered, affectionately messing up her hair and making her look up at him with an odd look in her eyes, the usual fire absent, "I don't like it, Lelouch. I don't like it at all. This wasn't how it was supposed to be." she quietly said.

"And _that _is why we need hard men to make the hard decisions." Lelouch replied with a grim tone, "You've seen Empires rise and fall throughout the ages, Cera. All of them eventually fell - but the Britannian Empire?" he squeezed his right hand into a fist and raised it in front of him, glaring at it, "Not while I _draw my breath_!" he hissed, "Nunnally will remain its ruler for as long as she desires to. I'll make sure of it."

"And what then, Lelouch?" she asked him, raising a hand to stop him before the doorway leading back to main hallway of the small base, "What will you do when she can't bear to rule over what's left of it when you're done?"

He leaned on the wall, watching her in silence for a long minute before responding. "Whatever is necessary for her happiness, Cera." he quietly responded, his violet eyes shining in the dim light of the hallway, "Whatever is necessary."

0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please check out my brand new story called For Whom the Bell Tolls, featuring a delightful Lelouch/Milly pairing in a plot to restore the name of Ashford to its former glory while carefully navigating the various political consequences their efforts might land them in. I am quite excited for it, and hope you give it a try

The update rate and the quality of chapters of All Hail Britannia will not be affected in any way.

See you next Sunday!

Special thanks to ~AverageLucas for proofreading this chapter.

**NOTE: **I am currently looking for another **BETA**** Proofreader**. If you're interested, send me a PM and I'll get back to you.


	9. Chapter 9

~0o0o0~

**\- Pendragon, Britannian Mainland 23:30 - **

**(Standard Britannian Time)**

0o0o0o0o0o0

* * *

The flames roared in anger, eager to escape their captivity behind the ornately wrought dark iron bars that enclosed them within the fireplace. Their light was nearly blinding in the half-dark room, throwing the richly decorated, old furniture into stark contrast as the shadows twisted along the walls in a sinister dance of light and darkness.

A figure sat in front of it, ignoring the half-formed whispers of the crackling logs and slowly making its way through a carefully chosen list of books on a small datapad. It leaned back in its seat with a small sigh, enjoying the padded seat and the small measure of free time it had, even if it was so late at night. Ice cubes clinked against the sides of a tall glass as it was picked up, the hidden figure appreciating the taste of freshly squeezed lemonade for a moment before resuming its previous activity, a half-smile covering its dimly lit face as it read a particularly amusing passage.

Wind howled against the tall arched windows on the side of the room covered by soft, dark yellow curtains, accompanied by a soft patter of rain every now and then which provided for a calming background noise. A soft, feminine voice calmly joined in the cacophony, resounding from a small speaker inbuilt in the seat, "The Knight of Two is here, Your Majesty."

"Let her in. Thank you, Anna." The seated figure replied. It didn't even quirk an eyebrow when the tall, painstakingly etched doors on the other side of the room opened with an artificial creak. A second figure now entered, slowly walking over and kneeling in front of the seated one, its head bowed in respect, "Your Majesty."

"Anya, my Knight of Two." Nunnally Vi Britannia finally looked up from the small device occupying her attention and smiled at the kneeling girl, "Did Zero send you to guard me again?" Her large blue eyes reflected the dancing flames in foggy detail.

"Yes, my Lady. I will be spending the night here." She looked up at the Empress, a sliver of anxiety flickering in her pink eyes as she quickly continued, "If you'll allow it, of course."

"Of course." Nunnally replied, looking back down at the small screen and gesturing to a heavily padded armchair on the other side of the table that rested next to her side absentmindedly, "Please, have a seat. It makes me uncomfortable when you simply stand there."

Her well-experienced ears followed the soft footsteps of the small girl as she walked around the back of her wheelchair and climbed into the armchair, leaning forward with a small creak from the old piece of furniture. Silence stretched between them for the next quarter of an hour, the young woman grabbing what little free time she had with both hands, The Knight of Round was busy with her own thoughts, sending a few furtive glances her way when she thought she couldn't see her.

Nunnally had never had the chance to get too close to the pink haired girl. Unlike Jeremiah, who she had quickly warmed up to after everything her brother had written about him and from what little she remembered of her childhood and the time spent in the Aries Villa, Anya was a completely different story.

Bits and pieces, she had managed to get out of her, but nothing that would allow her to grasp a complete part of the girl's personality and past. Highly recommended and experienced, of course, or she would have never accepted her re-application to join, but mysterious all the same. Jeremiah had eventually relented and quietly relayed what Anya had told him, leaving Nunnally in deep thought.

After all, seeing the girl as an unwilling vessel for her mother's soul was unlikely to make things any less awkward than they already were.

She placed the small datapad on the table between them, her hand brushing her glass. The now half melted ice sloshed around the bottom with a soft clinking noise that made the pink-haired girl look around at the sound. Nunnally smiled, deciding to try and avail her nervousness at least a tiny bit, "I believe my brother used to sit in that chair, you know." She said, gesturing at the old, yet still richly decorated seat the other girl was using.

Anya was already halfway out of her armchair upon hearing the girl, "If it makes you uncomfortable-" She began as her nervousness flared up again.

"No, it's fine. Please." Nunnally waved her back down, "I'm happy someone has a chance to use it again. I'm sure it's grateful, too."

"Grateful, my Lady?" With a blink, she looked down at the armrests on her side suspiciously, as if they were going to embrace her.

Nunnally smiled, pushing against the arms of her wheelchair to shift around in a more comfortable position, "It's something my brother used to tell me. Back when we were at Ashford." She began with a soft, affectional tone, "He would come home after a long day in school, and we would have dinner together. Every week, every day, for years, he had made sure that we spent as much time as we could together. It made me happy."

Anya cocked her head as the other girl continued her story. She was completely unfamiliar with this other, seemingly caring side of Lelouch Vi Britannia. Neutrally nodding, she leaned forward, willing to lend her ear to the girl. Something inside of her slowly tugged at her heartstrings as she listened.

"And afterwards, we would have tea while I'd tell him what I'd done during the day. He would never let me even touch mine until it was just the right temperature, of course - it's hard to drink hot things when you're blind, you _see_." The Empress giggled at her small joke, making Anya crack an awkward smile.

"And when I'd go to bed at night, he'd tuck me in and tell me stories Suzaku or Sayoko had told him; I used to love those. You see, he told me about this thing the Japanese call _Tsukumogami_." She spoke the foreign word with barely an accent, betraying her knowledge of the language.

"According to them, if a thing is used for a long, long time, it would eventually develop a spirit of its own."

"A spirit?"

"Yes. If you use something, and take good care of it for such a long time, it will start loving you back, he said. Imagine how many Emperors have sat in that armchair, relaxing in front of this very fireplace from the burden of ruling. Fascinating, isn't it?"

The pink-haired girl processed this new information with great care, blinking at her seat as she saw it in a new light, making Nunnally cover her mouth and stifle a giggle. Her gaze turned towards the slowly writhing flames before something clicked in her head and she quickly pulled a small phone out of her jacket, "Does that mean…" She gave it a long, reverent look, making Nunnally giggle even harder.

"Oh, Anya, I'm sorry." She said between fits of quiet laughter, "But it takes over a hundred years before anything of the sort will happen." She leaned over to pat the disappointed girl's hand, "Thank you, though. I haven't laughed in a while. I needed that."

Over a week had passed since Schneizel's untimely death, and the mood in the country was still grim. The Empress had officially announced a month-long grieving period for her half-brother with a heavy heart, knowing that the method of his demise had been far from a gentle or peaceful one. It was also over a week since she had heard her brother was attacked by the same person who killed Schneizel.

She had begged Jeremiah to allow her to speak to him, pleaded for just a scrap of news about her brother's current location or his health - mental or otherwise. The older man's heart was quite nearly broken by her tear stained face, but he had simply taken her hands in his and quietly explained how that even if she ordered him to, he'd have no choice but to disobey her request for face to face contact.

She had listened to him, back then, her heart growing even heavier with grief and sadness until she thought it would burst. But she had stayed strong - putting up a brave front, if not for her, then for her brother. He had given up everything he had for her, and she wasn't going to repay his generosity with anything else but sheer confidence and bravery as she continued to rule Britannia.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Your Majesty." Anya replied to her earlier statement, making her blink until she remembered their conversation, bringing her train of thoughts to a halt.

"It's one of the burdens of the crown, I'm afraid. There's not much to smile about."

Wind howled against the windows yet again, the previously quiet pitter patter of raindrops against the heavily armoured glass turning into a steady shower that pounded on the glass just behind the curtains that would throw themselves back in the morning, revealing a stunning view of the jewel of the Britannian Empire in all of its glory. Closed, for now, they kept the encroaching darkness at bay.

"Do you ever regret becoming a Knight of Round, Anya?" Nunnally suddenly asked, making the other girl frown.

"Never, Your Majesty." She replied with a shake of her head, the pink twintails whipping through the air before they settled back down against her cape covered shoulders, "I'm sure Jeremiah has told you. Your… mother may have steered me here for her own reasons, but even now that my mind is clear, I don't regret it. I hope I never will."

Feeling slightly calmer, Anya stood up and paused in front of the fireplace, peeking at the seated figure over her shoulder, "Is there a reason you ask that of me?"

"I'm afraid I can't quite say the same for myself, you see." Nunnally replied to Anya's surprise, "All of this," she waved her hand to indicate the room, and possibly the Palace at large, "is tiring. It gives me so much happiness when I hear that some policy I have signed has improved the lives of my people, but the weight of the crown itself?" she paused, looking down into the fireplace, "It's heavy. Sometimes I wonder if it's too heavy for me."

Long seconds ticked by after she finished confiding in the other girl, time itself slowing down to a veritable crawl at her words. Anya motionlessly stared at the fire, her posture giving away nothing.

"I'm not very good with words, and Jeremiah will probably kill me when he finds out I spoke out like this," The pink-haired girl quietly began, still staring into the flames, "but I think you are a much better ruler than your father ever was, or ever could be."

She paused for a few moments, gathering up her strength to continue as Nunnally watched on impassively, "The removal of the Area system and the abolishment of the Nobility." She continued, "Both of them are a part of your brother's legacy. Yet you never even considered overturning his decisions.

"That's because-"

"My point is, Your Majesty, that the people won't remember him when they think about it. They will think of you - The 100th Empress of the Britannian Empire, Nunnally." Anya proclaimed, pointing a gloved finger at the girl who blinked up at her curiously but stayed silent, "Everything else you do will just make them love you more. Compared to Charles…" she trailed off, whirling around and sitting back in the armchair.

"My, you don't usually act like this, Anya. It's a pleasant surprise to see you so excited about something." Nunnally spoke quietly, leaning her cheek against her right hand and looking at her warmly.

"Please forgive me, my Lady." Anya quietly said, rubbing her eyes with both hands, "I still get unexpected mood swings from time to time, they're hard to control." She blinked hard a couple of times, "Especially when I'm tired."

"In any case, I'm glad you said that, Anya. Thank you, I think it's what I needed to hear." Nunnally said with a grin, the other girl giving a small smile in return and nodding.

"If you say so, my Lady. I'm glad I could be of help. Will you be going to sleep soon?"

Nunnally blinked up at the clock that showed that it was just past midnight, "My, how time flies! Will you be out here as usual?"

"I would prefer to be inside your bedroom just in case, Your Majesty, but I understand your wish for privacy. I'll be out here if you need me."

Nunnally nodded, raising a hand to catch someone's attention, "Sayoko, I'll be heading off to bed now."

Anya would have been shocked at the fact how easily Nunnally's personal maid had managed to hide herself in plain sight if she hadn't seen her as soon as she had entered the room, by now well used to spotting Nunnally's personal shadow. She seamlessly melded out of the shadows in the corner of the room, bowing to the small girl with a smile.

"Of course, Mistress. Thank you for looking after her, Lady Anya." She bowed again, this time to the Knight of Two who gave a neutral nod in return.

"Good night, Anya." Nunnally said before the door to the bedroom closed behind her and Sayoko, leaving the pink-haired girl in silence only interrupted by the crackling of the logs at her feet. She pulled up her legs on the chair and hugged her knees, deep in thought. Looking down, she gently patted the armrest at her side, "Good job." she said proudly.

0o0o0o0o0o0

**Two hours later**

**\- Hawaii Islands, Britannia - **

0o0o0o0o0o0

He stood on a vast, empty field of dry, cracked sandstone that stretched endlessly around him in every direction as far as he could see. Clear blue skies devoid of clouds and sun both, shone down nonetheless, leaving him completely disoriented as he spun around, looking for something - anything - to focus on.

_There!_

A voice whispered in his mind, dragging his gaze straight up. Dark, red shapes formed a mockery of clouds, thick with puss, pestilence and disease. They darkened the sky, far, far above him. Quiet rumbling resounded from a distance, carried by an unseen wind that gently tugged at his cheeks as it passed him by, whispering unintelligible things in his ears.

With a sudden distant roar that shook the ground, the distant shapes grew in size before rapidly moving towards him, growing until they encompassed all of the sky above in a flash. He looked up, teeth bared at the madness, screaming his defiance to what dwelled above.

A moment later, he was sitting up in his bed, feeling filthy and wet with sweat that poured down his forehead. He wiped it away with one thin, pale hand before looking to his left where a source of the constant beeping that has plagued his dream for the past minute sat on the table, flashing red. Leaning over, Lelouch groaned as he pushed a button to answer, "What is it, Edward?" he croaked out, standing up - no longer able to lie in the soiled, sweaty sheets.

"Marquis Gottwald is calling for you, my Lord. He says it's a matter of utmost urgency."

Without a word, Lelouch slammed the button to end the call and shook his head to get rid of the last of his dizziness. Forcing himself into a pair of dark trousers folded across a chair, he quickly threw on a white shirt, buttoning it up as he walked out into the hallway. A pair of fully armoured Praetorians outside of the impromptu bedroom quickly fell into step behind him without a comment as he strode towards the command centre of the small facility.

A short while later, he leaned back in the large swiveling chair with a small creak, nodding to the two men. Edward, his precious Praetorian Commander, stood next to it with a grim look on his face. The monitor he was facing showed Jeremiah, his perpetually tired face looking even thinner than usual. He wasted no time in getting to the point, "Around an hour ago, Kaguya Sumeragi," Lelouch narrowed his eyes at the casual dismissal of the girl's title, "called me _unofficially _to let me know that one of their spy cells has come across some extremely valuable information we'd like to know."

"Which would be?" he asked with bated breath, eager to hear the reason he was woken up in the middle of the night.

"Only the location of their Headquarters, my Lord. We have found the Geass Order." Jeremiah proudly announced, "I will need to personally thank her for this, I would have never thought to even consider it."

"By Darwin, she actually did it." Lelouch whispered in wonder, looking up at Jeremiah with renewed hope in his eyes, "Where is it, Orange? Where are my enemies hiding?"

"Unless there's been a mistake, my Lord, they are… right in the middle of The Kingdom of Australia."

Lelouch tapped a finger on the cool surface of the table, letting the new information settle. His drooped head rose to look Jeremiah straight in the eyes, "Before I make any decisions, Jeremiah, is there any sign of... collusion with their government?"

The cybernetically enhanced man pulled an another piece of paper from the side and quickly read over it once more before responding, "Some funding and… yes, it seems they've declared the area a classified military zone. We can, at the very least, assume that the Farwell Dynasty is somehow involved. Little happens in that place without Connor the Fifth knowing about it."

Lelouch stood up and started pacing around the room, ignoring Jeremiah's curious look. Edward merely crossed his arms and leaned against the table, a frown growing on his face, "And if their King knows, then..." he trailed off, sharing a look with Jeremiah.

After a few minutes of pacing around quietly, the two men looking on in silence. Lelouch shook his head with clear dissatisfaction, still pacing, "This will complicate things significantly. I want Suzaku's opinion on this. Jeremiah, get him to your office." He ordered while sitting back down, mulling over what to do.

"As you wish, my Lord."

Soft footsteps tapped over the floor towards them a few seconds later, the automatic doors closing behind the new entrant. Lelouch didn't even turn around, closing his eyes and murmuring something under his breath while he waited, only opening them when a female voice spoke up behind him.

"Is there something wrong?"

He spared a fleeting glance towards it for a moment, impatiently tapping his fingers on the desk while he waited for Jeremiah, "I'm surprised to see you out of the medical bay already. Feeling better?" He asked instead of answering, measuring her attire and the way she stood with some suspicion.

Kallen shrugged under her heavy Knights of Round cloak, standing on his right and mirroring Edward's position on the other side of his chair before jumping up and taking a seat on the table with a small oomph of effort.

"I was feeling fine three days ago, Lelouch. Your medical staff is too cautious, I'll be fine." she said, swinging her feet while looking around the room. Her eyes narrowed at the small smirk Edward was giving her, "I could smash this guy's face in, if you need any reassurance."

"Bring it on, Missy." the large man cracked his knuckles theatrically, his steely gaze somewhat ruined by a small flicker of happiness. He knew a good fight when he saw one, "Wouldn't be the first time I've had to discipline a brat like you."

Kallen jumped off the table, already raising her fingers to shed her cloak and prove him wrong. Lelouch growled, "Enough. Where's C.C.?"

Doing her best to ignore the other man's smug expression, she leaned against the table again and ran a hand through her red locks in frustration, "She was having trouble sleeping. Only calmed down a few minutes ago, after I got the message."

"Was she? I'll brief her later." He replied distractedly, leaning back in his high-backed armchair and massaging his forehead. It looked like he wasn't the only one being plagued by nightmares. The Code was as much of a blessing as it was a curse - it made him far more sensitive to others' emotions and thoughts than he'd prefer. The psychic backlash from strong feelings coming from those around him was hardly unknown, the witch had told him, but it seemed to manifest in him with far more strength than usual.

Or at least as usual for the girl herself. Not that she had had many acquaintances with the gift - or rather, the curse, as she had called it - of the Code. As far as she knew, their relationship was something rather unique and precious.

Kallen's small gasp made him look up, his expression freezing into a neutral mask as he saw the new arrival to their small conference. Zero's mask glared at them both from his position next to Jeremiah's seated form, his hands crossed in front of him. Truly an odd experience, he mused as he looked at the familiar clothing it wore.

"Lelouch Vi Britannia." It slowly said, painfully drawing out the syllables with a rasp of static from the helmet mounted speakers it used to communicate with the rest of the world, "I thought I killed you the first time, must you make me do so again?"

Kallen's eyes flickered between the two figures who seemed to be locked in a silent contest of wills. Being the only person in both rooms who didn't know Zero's true identity, she was noticeably more nervous than any of the other participants and it showed in the way she nervously shuffled on the spot.

"I'm afraid it'll have to wait, Zero. We have more pressing matters to attend to."

Zero let out a long, rattling breath, looking over to Jeremiah and giving him a short nod. Their faces slid aside to make room for a large map of the Kingdom of Australia on the screen. Jeremiah pulled an additional two sheets of paper from his side, skimming across them before highlighting a portion deep inside the center of the continent.

"It's there. A fully equipped compound, under military protection. We're presuming it extends underground too, just like-"

"The one we already destroyed, yes." Lelouch murmured, looking at the screen in deep thought, "Your thoughts on the underground part?"

"Will be written up and sent to you within the hour. However, as it stands right now, we will have a difficult time moving against them."

Lelouch nodded, leaning back in his chair, "Just as I thought. Short of detonating a F.L.E.I.J.A.," Kallen gave him a sharp look, narrowing her eyes as he talked, "at ground level, I doubt anything else would even scratch the armoured exterior. If there's one thing those people are good at, it's fortifying their island and everything on it."

"I thought all of the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads were destroyed." Kallen quietly spoke out into the silence, making Edward give her an uncharacteristically sad look, shaking his head. Lelouch gazed at Zero, pointedly ignoring her penetrating gaze.

"As far as the UFN knows. They will be, once there is no more need for them." He quietly explained, making the redhead look down with a rattling sigh, her shoulders shaking for a few moments. She had expected as much, but it still hurt to hear it from him, much less endure the looks the men gave her.

Jeremiah intertwined his hands on top of the table, "As I'm sure you're also aware, the Kingdom of Australia has some of the best detection and anti-air technology in the world, surpassing even ours. Any invasion of their airspace, even by a small team of specialists to do what you're suggesting will be detected and neutralized quickly." He rubbed his chin in thought.

Zero looked on impassively, his mask barely moving throughout the conversation. A quiet hiss of static preceded his electronically muffled tone, "Even if we could, sending in a small task force to attempt to destroy it would accomplish nothing." He said, all eyes turning towards him. Ignoring their looks, he held Lelouch's gaze and continued, "I'm sure you understand why, your _Highness_."

The last word was barely legible, but Lelouch understood his point anyway, closing his eyes for a moment, "If they're so deeply rooted within their government like Kaguya's intelligence is suggesting, not even destroying their Headquarters will be enough to accomplish our goal." He explained for the others, pausing for a moment to consider something.

"Wiping it from the face of the earth might be enough to scare what's left of them from doing anything that could incur our wrath." He rubbed his chest through his shirt, over the spot where the knife had exited after passing through his back. Pure white skin was all that remained, not a trace of the wound could be found, "Then again, we might be dealing with fanatics here, in which case we'll have to destroy them all in one fell swoop."

He focused on Zero and gave him a long, penetrating gaze, which prompted the masked man to hiss out in anger as the realization hit him, startling the others. He shook his head, standing, "I know you're right, but it doesn't make this any easier." The masked man paused, bowing his helmet in thought.

"I'll tell the Empress. May she find mercy in her heart to forgive us for the atrocity we're about to commit." He said in a clipped tone that chilled Kallen to her very core, turning around and striding past Jeremiah and out of the room. As the door closed, the Marquis took a deep breath, folding his hands under his chin and closing his eyes with a serious expression.

Kallen cleared her throat, "What did he mean by that?" She said, turning around to look at the rest of the men. They were looking particularly grim, hard gazes set on determined faces. Receiving no answer, she hopped down from the table and hesitantly reached to shake Lelouch's shoulder, speaking out in a weak voice, "Lelouch? What are you doing?"

For the first time in a long while, she saw something approaching pain in his gaze as he looked up at her, before it was replaced by a flood of determination. He reached up and ran a hand through his sweaty, disheveled hair and spoke to Jeremiah with an air of finality around him.

"Get Cornelia to work out the invasion plan. Unless you've been slacking with your reports on our military strength, she'll rally the the fifth through tenth Armies for it. I'll send you the exact message you will relay to her _word _for _word _in half an hour - or as soon as we have my sister's blessing."

Kallen's face paled as she understood the implications of his decision, "Lelouch!" She shouted, her expression shifting from deep worry into something deeply disturbing, "I-I understand you want to get to the root of this as soon as you can, but you can't just…"

Her voice trailed off as the men looked away from her uncomfortably. Lelouch's face looked like it was carved out of stone, while Jeremiah was looking pale but determined. Edward simply gazed at the large projection of the Kingdom of Australia in thought, unwilling to tease her anymore. She swallowed a lump in her throat, too shocked to even feel angry, "But the UFN-"

"She raises a good point, my Lord." Jeremiah spoke up, "Kaguya might have sent this message in good faith, but a full blown invasion in the precarious position we're in might lead to a world war. The UFN will not-"

"The UFN will do _nothing_!" Lelouch shouted as he lost his patience, slamming the desk with a closed fist and making Jeremiah close his mouth with a snap, "We still outnumber them in Knightmares at a ratio of nearly two to one, and our frames are so far ahead of their paltry imitations it would be laughable to even consider attacking us."

He was so _close _to victory, he could practically taste it. Adrenaline pumping through him at the thought, he waved his hand, "Don't you see? We finally have a chance to strike back at them, and end the tyranny of the Geass once and for all!"

He looked up at Edward, who shrugged in return before speaking out in his gravelly tone, "There is no other choice, Miss Stadfeld. If their royalty is supporting them, there's no way to be sure they won't simply regroup somewhere, or simply leak the information as soon as we attack. We need swift, decisive action that will destroy them for good."

Kallen wiped her eyes angrily, tone raised in consternation, "But how will you stop them from doing just that? Even if we attack from all sides, they'll still be able to broadcast to the world about your survival, won't they?" She looked at Lelouch, who forcibly calmed himself down with a sigh, reminding himself that the girl still had a good heart, and that his decision must have shocked her fiercely.

His glare locked Jeremiah in place before he could say anything. He stood up and gripped her shoulder, looking down at her crushed expression with a compassionate look, "Let us worry about that. You should go wake C.C. up. Depending on how Cornelia reacts to Jeremiah, we might need to move fast."

He was slightly surprised at how well she was handling his decision, though he was hardly showing it. It looked like he wasn't the only one who had been forced to mature fast during the past year. As if trying to prove him wrong, she looked up at him with new fire blazing in her eyes.

"I want to be in the first wave, Lelouch. If it has to be done… I'll do it. I don't think I could forgive myself for allowing you to do this otherwise." She said through gritted teeth.

Her voice was angry and unyielding, the glare making it clear she would accept nothing less. Lelouch felt a surge of satisfaction, though his outward appearance stayed the same. With a Knight of Round participating, failure was an impossibility. He nodded, gripping her shoulder once more before leaning back.

"I'm proud of you. I'll make sure it happens." He quietly said, standing still as she strode past him and out the room, closing his eyes and heaving a deep sigh before turning around and taking a seat, "Jeremiah?"

Jeremiah Gottwald had a calculating gaze as he looked at Lelouch's determined expression. If he decided to obey him, the consequences would send a ripple throughout the world the other nations would simply be unable to ignore.

Yet he raised a good point, would Kaguya - and the UFN at large - dare to do anything in return? The girl would help Lelouch, she always has, but he would need a silver tongue to think up of a _casus belli_ to justify their war. Marianne's face flashed through his mind, and at that moment, he knew he had no choice.

He took a deep sigh and stood up, slamming a hand over his heart, "Yes, your highness! All hail Britannia!" he shouted. He didn't need to be the one to do the convincing - his Lord would be more than up to the task.

Lelouch nodded with a small, triumphant smile, "Good man. Fear not, Orange, we'll end this as fast as we can, and Kaguya will learn to live with it. Edward-" He turned to the steadfast guardian on his side who mirrored Jeremiah's salute, "start preparing the men for departure. We'll need to leave fast once things are set in motion."

He turned back to Jeremiah as the other man strode away, "You can expect my message soon. Make sure you relay it _word _for _word_, I _cannot _stress this enough. I have more than one way to deal with my beloved half-sister if needed, but we need her for this."

The other man finally let out a deep breath, nodding in agreement, "Yes, my Lord. It shall be done." before cutting off the connection with the push of a button, leaving Lelouch in the suddenly far too dark room.

He leaned back down, leaning his chin against his clenched hands and looking at the freshly printed copy of Kaguya's report on the table in front of him, "You bastards will regret the day you crossed the Lamperouges." he hissed at it before grabbing it and stomping out of the room.

For the second time in as many years, war was brewing over the power of Geass.

0o0o0o0o0o0

* * *

A/N: Hello everyone, and I hope you have a happy new year! I would also like to wish a late Merry Christmas to all my roman-catholic readers.

I've been down with a rather terrible cold and fever for a week or so, and haven't had the opportunity to do much writing, something which I'm sure will change now that I can reach my keyboard.

Please leave a review, and I hope you enjoyed reading. I'll see you soon!

Special thanks to ~AverageLucas for proofreading this chapter.


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